What Does It Involve?
Ear correction surgery may help people who consider their ears to be too prominent. In many cases the shape and lie of the ears is inherited, and a family trend can be seen. The most prominent ears often lack a normal fold, and sometimes one ear is more prominent than the other. People with prominent ears are sometimes teased, particularly during their school years, and this can lead to a loss in self confidence. Ear correction surgery can resolve this very quickly.
Ear correction surgery is a simple operation which adjusts the shape of the cartilage of the ear to allow the ear to lie closer to the side of the head. During ear correction surgery an incision is made behind the ear. The cartilage is then reshaped, any excess fat is removed and then sutured into a more normal position. Ear correction surgery takes about 30 minutes.
EARFOLD™
One of the components of prominent ear is the lack of antihelical fold that is responsible for folding back the upper part of the ear. The introduction of Earfold™ means this condition can be corrected with a small surgery under local anaesthetic without having a prolonged recovery period with traditional surgery. Earfold™ is a thin highly elastic implant made of Nitinol which is widely used in medicine. The implant is malleable but is fixed in its shape. Under local anaesthetic, a small 1cm incision is made in the crease of the ear and with minimal dissection. The Earfold™ clip is then introduced into the dissected pocket to create the antihelical fold, pushing the upper pole of the ear closer to the skull. The wound is then closed and small dressing is applied. The surgery will take around 20-30 minutes and the patients can return to their normal routine. They should avoid contact sports, helmet for 1-2 weeks until swelling settles down. Unfortunately, not everyone is suitable for Earfold™ and a consultation using prefold clips is compulsory. The prefold will demonstrate the result of Earfold™ in correcting prominent ears. In those cases where the prefold trial failed to produce a satisfactory result, Earfold™ is unlikely to be the ideal treatment and surgical correction will be more appropriate. For further information, you can find it on earfold.co.uk .
After Surgery
After ear correction surgery, the small scars are hidden behind the ears and are not noticeable.