Otoplasty

$7,500-$9,000 with all fees included

Unfortunately, no. It is considered a cosmetic procedure.

The procedure is typically performed under MAC/IV sedation which can be described as a “twilight sleep”.

Although otoplasty can be highly successful and beneficial for children at a much younger age, Gold Coast Plastic Surgery is currently accepting new patients at a minimum age of fourteen years old. There is no maximum age requirement for the otoplasty.

In the vast majority of patients, the prominence is caused by either underdevelopment of the antihelical fold which is responsible for keeping the top 1/3 of the ear close to the head or by the shape; the firmness and angle of the conchal bowl against the mastoid bone. Patients can either have one or both of these congenital findings in the external ear which dictates which techniques are necessary. See techniques/anatomy section.

In some cases, there is only one ear affected and the contra lateral (other) ear is in the ideal anatomical position. These patients can have just one ear set back. In the vast majority of cases, both ears are affected to varying degrees. If only the most affected ear is set back and not the less affected ear than the postoperative result will be very distracting and cosmetically asymmetric. It is often recommended to perform the surgery on both ears so that the position the ears are set back to will match and result in a very symmetric and natural result.

The first day following the procedure is when most of the discomfort is experienced. This is due to the need to have a compressive dressing worn over night to prevent the accumulation of blood. Once the dressing is removed a vast majority of the discomfort is relieved.

A dressing is worn through the first night after the surgery. This is removed the next morning. A “headband” must be worn only while sleeping at night during the first week of the recovery.

Typically there is not a significant amount of bruising following surgery. The ears will have a significant amount of swelling during the first 4 days following surgery. By day 7 the ears will retain approximately 20 % of the swelling but will be cosmetically acceptable with regards to public viewing. By week two the ears have less than 5% of swelling and have an excellent cosmetic appearance.

When the correction of the ears is accomplished solely by a suture technique, there is some expected reoccurrence in the adult ear only. Because of this fact, often the adult ear is overcorrected with the expectation that they will relax and settle into the ideal position eventually. Because of this uncertainty and the need to weather a postoperative appearance that is slightly unnatural, I have developed a technique to prevent reoccurrence of the prominence and allow the ears to have a natural appearance during the entire postoperative period.

Hematoma- a risk of any suturing procedure. This risk is reduced with the use of  dressings worn for the first 24 hours.

Infection- a risk of any suturing procedure. This risk is reduced by the use of antibiotics during the first week of surgery and performing the procedure in a sterile environment. (not the office setting)

Cosmetic asymmetry- it is possible to have asymmetry which is a normal finding in ear anatomy especially if it is significant preoperatively. The ears are typically within millimeters of other following the procedure.

Numbness- temporary following surgery and should resolve within months of surgery.