The prominent ear deformity, which is seen in one of every 5 children, can cause serious problems in the child psychology when the child's age progresses and it becomes a mockery in the environment of friends. In the adulthood, it is treated as if it is an object that needs to be hidden because it creates the visual impairment. The prominent ear correction surgery for this deformity is an extremely simple procedure with the good results.
Who can have the prominent ear surgery?
The patients having a wider than normal angle between the ear and the head, unclear folds in the auricle, or a larger and wider auricle than normal are candidates for the surgery. The deformity, which is frequently seen in both ears, can sometimes be observed in one ear.
At what age can the prominent ear surgery be performed?
The ears reach to the adult size at 6 years of age. For this reason, the surgery can be performed at the earliest age of 6, depending on the development of the ear and face. While it is possible to get results without the surgery with the special tape and mold application for the babies having the prominent ear deformity in the first 3 months in the newborn period, it is not possible to recover without the surgery after 3 months.
How is the prominent ear surgery performed?
Many different techniques have been described for the otoplasty. The process is carried out by placing the stitched technique in the center of the operation by me. Depending on the shape of the deformity in the ear, the cartilage removal can also be applied. Since all procedures are performed behind the ear, there are no visible traces.

Is anesthesia required for the surgery?
The prominent ear surgeries can be performed under the general anesthesia in the pediatric age group. In the adult age group, it can be performed completely under the local anesthesia or by adding light sedation. The procedure is generally painless, and discomfort occurs due to the tight bandage for the first 2 days.
How long does the prominent ear surgery take?
The surgery takes 40 minutes for each ear.
What happens after the prominent ear surgery?
In the pediatric age group, 1 night of hospitalization can be required due to the general anesthesia. However, the patients in the adult age group can be discharged immediately after the surgery. The dressing with the elastic bandages is changed after 2 days. In the first 7-10 days, the edema in the ear, blurring of the ear lines and color changes occur, but at the end of this period, the improvement is observed. The patients can take a bath starting from the 2nd day. The dressing is changed every two days and is left open without the dressing at the end of the first week. The patients are asked to wear a tennis band for 3 more weeks while they are at home and at night.
What kinds of complications does the surgery have?
As we mentioned earlier, the edema and color changes can be observed in the early period. These are temporary situations. The stitching behind the ear, infection, bleeding are the rare complications. In the late period, the scooping can be seen again in 2-3% of patients as a result of opening the sutures placed to shape the ear. Again, in the late period, the sutures placed on the cartilage can be felt behind the ear in the patients having the thin skin.