Ears are an important facial feature that can impact a person’s appearance. Unfortunately, due to a variety of reasons such as an accident or birth defect, or trauma, the shape and size of the ears can be deformed. This can lead to feelings of self-consciousness and insecurity.
Reconstructive ear surgery or reconstructive otoplasty helps in rectifying both medical and cosmetic deformities of the ear, enhances the patient's hearing, and restores self-confidence. It is a delicate operation that requires precision and an experienced hand. In this article, we will guide you through everything you need to know about reconstructive inner ear surgery.
The type of reconstructive ear surgery will depend on the severity of the deformity. In some cases, only cartilage needs to be sculpted to create the desired shape while in others, both cartilage and skin need to be removed or added.
Some of the most common reconstructive ear surgery procedures are as follows:
Microtia surgery: In this technique, cartilage is taken from the patient's ribs and used to create or augment the ear. This is usually done in cases where there is a significant deformity or the patient does not have enough cartilage in their ear. In some cases, the physician may make use of an implant to create the outer ear.
Ear lobe repair: If the patient has drooping, stretched-out, ripped or torn earlobes, the surgeon will make incisions in the lobe and reattach it to the ear. The procedure is usually done under local anesthesia and takes about 30 minutes.
Otoplasty or ear shaping surgery: This is the most common type of reconstructive ear surgery and is done to correct cosmetic deformities. The surgeon will make incisions in the back of the ear and remove or add cartilage to create the desired shape.