Surgical techniques called Otoplasty aim to give the auricle a more anatomical and natural appearance. Otoplasty procedures fall into two categories: cartilage splitting (cutting) and cartilage sparing.
Large chunks of auricular cartilage are moved about during cartilage-splitting procedures by making incisions in the cartilage. By shaping cartilage into more useful angles and curves, cartilage-sparing procedures avoid full-thickness incisions.
Today, most surgeons do Otoplasty without removing cartilage. Congenitally protruding ears are a cosmetic deformity that can have a serious impact on a child’s emotional and behavioural development, though they typically do not affect a young child’s self-image until the child is older than age 5 or 6 years.
Procedure for an Otoplasty – How it is performed
Otoplasty surgery involves pulling the ears in and reducing the protrusion by bringing them closer to the skull. It may entail shaping, removing, or sculpting cartilage. This process will not affect your hearing. Only the outer ear is involved; hearing occurs in the middle or inner ear.
At the point where the ear and the head are connected, the surgeon creates an incision behind the ear. To achieve the desired result, the surgeon then removes as much cartilage and skin as is necessary.
To secure the cartilage, the surgeon may cut it, reshape it, and then pin it back with long-lasting sutures. Other times, the surgeon may use only sutures to permanently restructure the cartilage, rather than removing any cartilage at all.
Types of Otoplasty
Otoplasty in Hyderabad comes in a variety of types such as:
Ear augmentation
Small or incompletely formed ears are possible in certain persons. A person could decide to get Otoplasty in these circumstances to enlarge their outer ear.
Ear pinning
Drawing the ears closer to the skull is the goal of this kind of Otoplasty. It is carried out on people whose ears protrude noticeably from the sides of their heads.
Ear reduction
You have macrotia if your ears are bigger than usual. People with macrotia may choose to undergo otoplasty to make their ears smaller.
Otoplasty surgery
How to prepare for Otoplasty surgery?
The patient can share all of his/her expectations with the surgeon during Otoplasty surgery. After the procedure, the patient should prepare to spend at least five days at home. Children should minimise their activity and miss school for at least one week.
Depending on the complexity of the situation, the surgery itself can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. The surgeon will explain all of this to the patient and his/her family members.
If the patient is an adult, the surgeon could choose general anaesthesia or local anaesthesia along with a sedative. To keep a patient calm and comfortable throughout surgery, general anaesthesia is often administered.
The patient is not permitted to eat or drink after midnight the night before surgery or the morning of the procedure if they are under general anaesthesia. The evening before surgery, the final meal should be quite light.
Wearing comfortable, loose-fitting attire is advised. The patient should avoid shirts with constrictive collars; instead, opt for button-down shirts that can be slipped over his/her head. For children, this is extremely crucial. Any unneeded effect on the surgical site should be avoided.
After the Otoplasty surgery – Precautions
The majority of procedures are finished in a few hours, and the patient can return home the same day. After surgery, adults and children are typically up and moving around within a few hours, though you may want to spend the night in the hospital with a young patient to ensure that all of the general anaesthesia’s effects subside.
To promote optimal moulding and healing, the patient’s head will be wrapped in a thick bandage immediately after surgery. For a few days, the ears could ache or throb a little, but medication can ease this.
The heavy bandages will be swapped out for a headband-like, lighter head covering in a few days. When wearing this dressing, especially at night, be sure to follow your surgeon’s instructions. A week normally passes before stitches need to be removed or dissolved.
How face or looks change after Otoplasty
The majority of patients, young and old, are ecstatic with the outcomes of ear surgery. However, remember that progress rather than perfection is the main objective. Expecting exact symmetry between the ears is unrealistic because it is unlikely and unnatural for ears. The patient will probably be happy with the outcome if the patient and the surgeon discussed the procedure and expectations before to the operation.
Additionally, surgery can make huge, stretched earlobes with prominent creases and wrinkles look better. For those who were born deaf or who suffered an injury and lost their ears, surgeons can even create new ones.
However, sometimes the fix can leave a scar that is far worse than the original issue. It is important to ask the surgeon about the success rate of surgery in a particular scenario.
What risks are there of Otoplasty
Some risks of Otoplasty surgery include the following
- The patient can expect bruising and soreness for two to three weeks.
- Surgery may not always correct asymmetry in the positioning of one’s ears, and the ear placement may change because of recovery.
- Overcorrection may occur because surgery occasionally causes the ears to seem abnormally “pinned back.”
- Most discomfort is minor; however, narcotic pain relievers may be needed.
- Follow all post-operative recommendations for wound care, as there is a chance of infection.
- For several months, it is normal to have numbness, tingling, or altered sensations close to the incision site.
- The placement of scars will be as covert as feasible.
- The dangers of anaesthesia are similar to those of driving a car in a healthy person.