Ear Surgery
What is "ear surgery" or "otoplasty"?
Ear surgery, by its medical name, is otoplasty. Patients usually come in with complaints that their ears stick out - classically, the "Dumbo ears" - where they are concerned with the appearance of their ears. Depending on the type of ear surgery, the incisions are usually on the back of the ear and are well hidden. For the majority of cosmetic ear surgery, the incisions are small and well hidden.
Who should get plastic surgery done on their ear?
There is a medical condition called microtia where children are born without ears or with small ear buds. This is very common, and even more common outside of this country. It entails significant ear re-construction, usually when patients are five years old. It's usually the time when we start doing ear reconstruction. It requires a variety of different procedures, usually three or four procedures in terms of reconstructing the ear and making it look like the other ear. For the majority of patients though, otoplasty or ear surgery is for cosmetic purposes where the ears stick out. Usually that's because there's a lack of cartilage in the upper ear, where the ear instead of bending in just flails out. The procedure for an otoplasty is to bend that cartilage and to bend the ear so it gives the ear a more appropriate look.
What are the costs associated with ear surgery?
Usually ear surgery or cosmetic surgery is not covered by medical insurance, though for children it usually is. Costs associate with an otoplasty, or ear surgery, are usually anywhere from $4,000 to about $8,000. These ear surgery procedures are performed by plastic surgeons and by facial plastic surgeons.
