Ottawa Otoplasty (Cosmetic Ear Surgery)
The importance of ear appearance
Often the only time we want to have our ears noticed by others, is when we are wearing earrings. Otherwise, the ears are usually only noticeable if they stick out too far from our head, if there’s a difference (asymmetry) between our two ears, or a part of the ear (like the earlobe) has an unusual appearance. The goal of otoplasty (cosmetic ear surgery), pinning back of the ears is to bring the ears closer to the head, and to make our two ears look the same. Surgery of the outer ear is also done to correct deformity of the earlobes, or to fix trauma, enlarged earring holes, or to repair earlobes which have had guages put in previously.
Cosmetic ear surgery (Otoplasty)
There are many different methods to perform otoplasties (pinning back of ears). The decision for the method of cosmetic ear surgery depends partly on what part of the ear is causing the ears to stick out, the preferences of each individual, and the surgeon’s experience and comfort with different methods. As a board-certified ear nose and throat surgeon with specific certified training in plastic and reconstructive surgery of the head and neck, Dr. Javidnia has performed many ear surgeries and is uniquely suited to performing cosmetic surgery of the ears.
How plastic surgery for ears is done
Otoplasty can be done under local or general anesthesia. Dr. Javidnia performs otoplasty surgeries at our onsite state of the art private surgical facility. It can be performed with incisions behind the ear for maximal correction. For some patients, the surgery can be done without an incision, and with the placement of special sutures under the skin. The type of surgery would be decided by you in consultation with Dr. Javidnia. The surgery takes approximately 1 hour to perform depending on the method. cosmetic ear surgery is a day procedure where patients go home after their surgery.
After surgery
Patients will go home with bandages and a dressing placed on their ears after surgery. There is some tenderness that is expected which is easily managed with appropriate pain medication. 1-2 days following the surgery you will be instructed to remove the dressings and clean your ears. Most sutures that are used are self-dissolving, if any sutures need to be removed this will be done 1 week after surgery. Most of the bruising and swelling resolves within the first 1-2 weeks. All patients are able to return to work or school by 1 week after surgery.
