Some men, women and children feel
that their ears are large in proportion to other
facial features or protrude more than normal.
Most typically, children between the ages of 4
- 14 are self-conscious about their appearance
and their parents bring them to Dr. Mills to bring
their ears more in proportion to the rest of facial
features. Additionally, some adults wish to have
a simple earlobe reduction and/or repair earlobes
that have been elongated or stretched over time.
No matter the age, Dr. Mills can typically perform
otoplasty or ear surgery to make an individual
feel better about themselves.
With children, Dr. Mills recommends
that parents are alert to their child’s
feelings about their ears. He does not recommend
a parent insisting on the surgery, unless the
child wants the change. From our experience, children
feel self-conscious about their ears and want
ear surgery are generally more cooperative during
the procedure, take better care of the surgical
area and are happier with the outcome.
During your consultation, Dr. Mills
will want to hear your (and your child’s,
if applicable) goals and expectations. Dr. Mills
will review all possible options and develop a
surgical game plan. With otoplasty, Dr. Mills
makes an incision behind the ear and sculpts the
cartilage, bending and shaping it back toward
the head. He uses non-removable sutures to maintain
the new shape. Occasionally, a piece of cartilage
will be removed if the concheal bowl is too big
or deep. Even when only one ear appears to protrude,
Dr. Mills will likely perform surgery on both
to achieve the best symmetry possible. In most
cases, ear surgery will leave a faint scar in
the back of the ear that will fade with time.
Several weeks prior to surgery,
you (and your child, if applicable) will meet
with our pre-operative patient coordinator. She
will review all of the pre-operative instructions
and make sure that you complete all the necessary
lab tests and health screenings based on your
personal medical history and surgical plan. Additionally,
there are certain medications, herbs and potions
that we will ask you to cease taking for two weeks
prior to surgery and two weeks post-surgery. This
appointment will also be a time for you to ask
any final questions, so that you ready for surgery
and have an optimal recovery time.
On the day of surgery, you (or your
child) will need a responsible adult to accompany
you to and from our surgery center. This individual
will need to be available by phone, so that they
are ready upon your discharge. Additionally, someone
will need to stay with you for your first 24 hours
following surgery.
Upon admission to our facility,
a registered nurse will spend about an hour preparing
you for surgery. You should expect to spend about
2 ½ – 4 hours for pre-operative admission,
surgical time and post-surgical recovery. (Complicated
cases may require additional time.) Your surgery
will likely be performed under local anesthesia
with sedation or a light general anesthesia. During
your stay, our surgical team will care for you.
Dr. Mills’ team includes a nurse anesthetist,
registered nurse and surgical technician. He has
been working with most of these staff members
for many years and some almost since the time
he started his practice. The entire team is committed
to providing you with superior care and ensuring
that your surgery is a success.
Patients undergoing otoplasty leave
with a bulky bandage wrapping over their ears
and head. This dressing promotes optimal molding
and healing. The ears may ache or throb for a
few days, but this can be treated with medication.
Typically, patients are up and about within a
few hours following their discharge.
The heavy bandage is typically removed
after a day or two and replaced with a lighter
head dressing, similar to a headband or tennis
‘sweatband’. This sweatband will help
to support the cartilage and help form the cartilage
during the healing process. Dr. Mills will give
instructions on when to wear the headband. Also,
any non-dissolvable stitches will be removed at
about 2 weeks. It is especially important that
all post-operative instructions are followed to
achieve the best result possible.
Dr. Mills will give instructions
about resuming activities, but typically the patient
should avoid any activity that might bend the
ear for the first month after surgery. Most adults
can return to work after about 5 days. Children
can return to school after about 7 days. However,
they will need to be careful on the playground
and/or sports activities. We would advise you
to talk to your child’s teachers, so that
they can be aware to keep their eye on the child’s
activity level for the first few weeks post-operatively.
We would be happy to provide a written medical
excuse, if needed.
With ear surgery, complications
are typically infrequent and minor. Potential
complications include blood clots and infection.
While a blood clot is generally a rare occurrence,
it may naturally dissolve or can be drawn out
with a needle. Infections are usually treated
with antibiotics. As with any surgery under a
general anesthesia, there is always the risk of
a reaction to the anesthesia.
We look forward to meeting you
and/or your child in consultation to discuss
you needs and develop a tailored surgical plan.
In the meantime, we welcome any questions that
you might have via email. You can contact our
patient coordinator through our
contact us page.
It is our philosophy to provide the best service
possible, so please let us know how we can best
serve you.
| Otoplasty
Post-Operative Information |
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You can expect: |
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To drive after 2-3 days (if applicable). |
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To resume normal activities after about
3 – 7 days. |
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To avoid any activity that might bend the
ear for the first month. |
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To wear a headband for 2 months at nighttime. |
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To visit our office post-operatively at
1 – 2 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month,
3 months and 6 months post-operatively. (We
also recommend annual follow-up visits.) |
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To see your final results at about 6 months,
after your skin has contracted. |
| How much time will it take
to heal? |
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| Your ears will take about 2 months to heal.
During this time, you will need to wear a
headband over your ears at nighttime. |
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| Will I be in a lot of pain after surgery? |
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| Otoplasty is typically not a painful surgery.
Most people find that their ears are numb
after surgery and any pain is reduced with
icing the area and taking Tylenol. Additionally,
Dr. Mills will prescribe pain medication,
if needed. |
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| How old must my child be to have this surgery? |
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| Dr. Mills recommends that a patient be
at least 4 years old. |
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| Is this surgery more suitable for children? |
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| While most of our patients tend to be children
for this surgery, many adults opt to have
it done as well. |
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| How long until I can work out or play sports
after surgery? |
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| You will need to wait about 2 weeks until
you can do light workouts and a month until
you can do aerobics. You should avoid any
contact sports for about 3 months. |
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| Will my ears return to their original position? |
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| The reason that Dr. Mills has you wear
a headband is because cartilage does tend
to have a memory. The headband functions
to hold the ears in place as they are healing,
so that they do not protrude again. |
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