At times, children are born with prominent, or protruding ears, and children that have this condition become the object of tremendous ridicule, even in their pre-school and kindergarten years. The unfortunate fact is that children are very often are very cruel and make light of other children who have these types of conditions. This condition doesn’t represent anything pathologic, it is simply a developmental condition in which the ear doesn’t assume its ideal position against the side of the head.
This is a condition that is extremely beneficial for pre-school children because the results are very dramatic and they children they are not the object of ridicule and they are then saved of the psychological trauma that occurs when other children make fun of them.
This is a very very safe and simple surgical procedure, very often in young children it is performed under a light sedation and numbing of the ear so that they patient has no pain or discomfort during the procedure. An incision is made behind the ear and the protruding cartilage is exposed and repositioned and held in a more normal position by a series of sutures. The procedure usually takes about 30 minutes. The child is actually is able to carry on a conversation with the surgeon during the procedure and it makes for a very pleasant experience for the child. On completion of the procedure, the child is given a mirror and sees a near miraculous transformation before his eyes. A light dressing is applied over the ears just as a ear retainer. The patient is able to be discharged to the parents or other responsible adults. This procedure results in very minimal discomfort and does not create excruciating pain.
The morning after the surgery, the patient returns to the office and the ear dressings are removed and, once again, the patient is usually astounded by the immediate improvement that they can see in the mirror. The elation and happiness that this minor surgical procedure creates in these young children is nothing short of miraculous. The patient is allowed to resume all normal activities the day after the surgery including: shampooing, all personal hygiene, engaging in normal activities, regular diet, and the patient is asked to wear a ear retainer for approximately one week so to not to disrupt the sutures holding the ear in the new ideal position. Once the patient heals, which takes approximately one week, there is no longer need for any further retainers or dressings. The patient then benefits from this very short, safe, surgical procedure literately for the rest of their lives. A variety of exams of patients who have had that type of simple ear surgery are shown.