Ear Surgery (Otoplasty) in New Orleans

Otoplasty or ear surgery is done when a patient wants to improve the position, proportion, or shape of the ear. The surgery is also used to correct any deformities in the structure of the ear stemming from birth or to correct ears that were misshapen due to various types of trauma or accident. The procedure will not affect or produce a noticeable change in the patient’s hearing but can improve their overall self-confidence from their appearance.

During ear formation, the process is sometimes interrupted causing a variety of differences in the shape of the ear. These instances may cause the ear to look folded or cause the cartilage of the ear to develop in a myriad of different ways. Other ear outcomes may have the ears appearing to stick out or seem too big, including those who suffer from macrotia. Another symptom can be from the position of the ears to be off from each other, causing one to be higher than the other. For those patients that have been living with any of these aforementioned maladies, there are ways for you to improve their appearance and, in the long run, their self-esteem.

Others that should consider ear surgery are those that have suffered any injury or trauma on their ears resulting in an odd shape or positioning of their ears. This can include having torn earlobes or other various injuries to the ear. The ages of those who can have the surgery performed on them usually range from 4 on up, as the cartilage in the ear is normally developed by that age. Usually, children are ideal candidates for ear surgery as the cartilage is easier to reshape during the younger age, which can also mean including having more “normal” looking ears for the rest of their lives.

There are a couple ways that ear surgery is performed in order to reshape the ear. The first involves folding and stitching the cartilage in a manner of reshaping the ear and another involves cutting out the cartilage and reshaping it that way. Both of these begin with the surgeon making a small incision at the back of the ear so that they have access to the cartilage. The surgery is generally done at an outpatient facility and a general anesthesia with a sedative is used. However, if the patient is a child, or the surgery is more complex, the surgeon may require the patient to stay overnight.

Recovery time can last from one to two weeks and the head is bandaged during this time. We suggest that you schedule time off work for recovery time before hand.