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What is otoplasty?
Otoplasty is the surgery that is carried out to alleviate any deformation of the ears. The best known intervention is the one that has to do with protruding ears. This is a completely aesthetic operation. In short, what is done is to bring them closer to the head and sometimes their size is also reduced.
Having larger ears than other people have can be directly related to the patient's self-esteem. Children are the ones who have it the worst. They are not aware of some of their physical attributes until they arrive at school and encounter classmates who pick on them. This can be a serious problem in the future for them to feel secure in themselves.
Ear reduction is also common in adults who decide to carry out this surgery to end a problem that has accompanied them for many years and thus improve their image.
How is the surgery performed?
The operation will vary depending on the malformation or problem to be alleviated according to the patient. A solution can be given to:
- The large size of the ears.
- The space between the natural position of the ears and the head.
- The shape (wolf, satyr, cup)
- Functionality, that is, not just for aesthetics.
Despite the existence of all these types of treatments when it comes to otoplasty, the most common is that of protruding ears, which is usually characterized in most cases by their size and distance from the head.
It is a relatively simple operation. If what you want is to solve the space, what you do is weaken the cartilage and its support. In this way we achieve a new curvature in the antihelix using suture threads, in turn rotating the concha and fixing it with the deepest tissues of the ear.
The otoplasty can end there or if you want to reduce the size, some cartilage and skin removals that are nearby will be done.
Preoperative
As in any other type of operation, a complete analysis will be done on the patient to rule out any problem that could get in the way of doing the operation correctly.
Several questions are also asked about the reason why it was decided to have this operation and if it will really be the solution to the problems that the patient raises.
Postoperative
As with any surgery, discomfort will be felt in the days following the operation. These can be reduced with the intake of medications recommended by the Doctor who carried out the intervention.
During the first four days after the intervention, a circular bandage is worn. After these 15 days, the stitches are removed. You can quickly lead a normal life trying to avoid great physical exertion. Scar care is similar to that of any other type of operation. You should only take extreme precautions if you visit the pool or the sea. Here the use of plugs is recommended to avoid infections of any kind. The scar will be practically invisible since it will be found in the posterior sulcus.
The inflammation can last up to two weeks and it will not be until that date when the definitive results will begin to be seen.
It is very important to sleep on your back for the first few days to avoid putting pressure on the newly treated area.
In the case of having performed the operation on a child, care is more important since, apart from the fact that their tissues are more flexible, the child is not aware of how important it can be to rest during these days and avoid sudden movements. Therefore, parents should pay special attention to them during this period of time.
Advantages
If it is known that a person's self-esteem problem has always been the size of their ears since they have had this trauma from an early age, it is clear that undergoing this operation will only have advantages. Let's now list some of them.
– Significant increase in the patient's self-esteem, in the case of an adult. After the operation he will have put an end to a problem that has been with him his entire life and he will now be able to feel happy with himself.
– Prevention of future problems with self-esteem or at school, in the event that it is a child who undergoes the intervention.
Disadvantages
There are very few but some could be named.
– If a surgeon who is expert in this type of operation is not chosen, it may be the case that the final result is not what was expected and when the inflammation subsides, an asymmetry is found. This could have a solution but it would mean investing money again and undergoing surgery again.
– As it is an operation close to the face, it is something very visual, so the reaction that others may have when noticing it can affect it. Faced with this, we must behave as maturely as possible and think that it is something we have done for ourselves and in order to feel better about ourselves.
Who is the ideal patient for this intervention?
Being generalists, anyone whose ears are larger than normal can have this operation performed.
But it is true that certain nuances can be made depending on who the patient is. For some time now it has been very common to carry out this type of surgery on children between 5 and 12 years old since they may suffer a bit of bullying at school. Therefore, it is usually the parents who make this decision for them to avoid a problem for the child. In this section it is very important to highlight the age at which the child can undergo the operation. Over the years, the ears are fully formed and can now be treated. In this way the child will not become aware of this characteristic and conflicts at school can be avoided.
When adults decide to have this operation, they must have mental and emotional stability. After years of experience they already know the reasons why they have low self-esteem and are not sure of themselves. Carrying out this treatment will be what helped them see life in a different way.
