Otoplasty

Otoplasty is a surgical procedure performed to correct a congenital or acquired ear defect. The operation can be performed for children from 7 years old, it is considered one of the safest.

Indications for treatment

Most often, an operation to correct the auricles is performed in the presence of defects in the outer ear (these include floppy ears, protruding auricles, large lobes), injuries or asymmetry of the auricles.

There are two types of otoplasty itself:

• aesthetic-aimed at correcting the shape of the ears, correcting defects that bring psychological discomfort;
• reconstructive-aimed at correcting a defect resulting from an injury or burn, creating a completely or partially missing auricle.

The latter type of plastic surgery is usually performed in several stages. You can also make decorative plastic, the task of which is to modify the ears.

How to correct the shape of the ears

Plastic surgery requires the consultation of a surgeon both before the procedure to correct the auricles, and after. Both ears are amenable to intervention, even if the problem is only with one. This way the result will be more symmetrical. The doctor needs to be notified about taking any medications, and you also need to check with him how many hours before the plastic surgery it is necessary to limit the intake of food.

The correction of the shape of the ears itself is performed in several stages:

• anesthesia is performed;
• the patient is covered with sterile sheets, only the intervention area remains open;
• preoperative marking is done, then an incision is made behind the ear;
• excess tissue is removed, the shape is modeled, anatomical correctness is given;
• cosmetic stitches are applied, a fixing bandage is applied.

The duration of the intervention depends on its type and what task the surgeon needs to solve. For example, the correction of floppy ears takes up to 2 hours, a more complex correction may require more time. Adult patients are given local anesthesia, while young patients are given general anesthesia. As a rule, after the procedure for correcting the auricles, they are not left in the hospital.

Recovery after ear surgery:

• the length of the rehabilitation period depends on how complex and extensive the intervention was;
• stitches after correction of floppy ears and other correction are removed in a week;
• plastic surgery on the ears involves wearing a special bandage.

The result of such intervention is irreversible, the shape of the ears will not change. After the procedure, bruises, swelling or scars may form, and it also happens that patients have reduced sensitivity on the operated area.
A little bit about how much the procedure costs in Minsk: you can find out the cost at the consultation, because it depends on the area and complexity of the intervention.