Harbour Surgical Institute, Inc.

Procedures & Services

• Otoplasty Ear Surgery

Otoplasty, commonly referred to as ear pinning, corrects the size or placement of an individual's ears. Otoplasty is generally performed on children ages of 4-14, as the ears finish growing by 4, and otoplasty can prevent adolescent ridicule, but the procedure is also performed on adults upon occasion. Good otoplasty makes the ears more proportional to the size and shape of the head and face.

The surgeon performing the otoplasty makes an incision behind the ear, in the fold where it joins to the head. Otoplasty usually involves the removal of cartilage and skin, and sometimes the otoplasty surgeon will trim the cartilage into a more pleasing shape, pinning it with permanent sutures. Otoplasty concludes with the suturing to anchor the ear until healing can hold it in place. Otoplasty patients report mild discomfort that can be treated with pain relievers and subsides within weeks. Otoplasty also results in a thin scar behind the ear; if this otoplasty scar is placed in the natural creases, it is not usually visible.