Ear Surgery (Pinnaplasty)

The best candidates for pinnaplasty include both children and teenagers, although adults may choose to undergo the surgery as well. This surgery is not recommended for children younger than five as their ears will still be growing and developing.

You can go for pinnaplasty if your ears are protruding or sticking out at a prominent angle from your head. Pinnaplasty is typically carried out in people who have one ear that sticks out much more than the other. In such cases, pinnaplasty can restore the symmetry of ears.

Pinnaplasty surgery takes about one to one and a half hours. It can be carried out under general anaesthesia. But in some cases, local anaesthesia is also given so that the patient remains pain-free even when he or she wakes up. The doctor will advise which anaesthetic is the most appropriate in your case.

It is must to get rid of any form of hair interference during pinnaplasty, so elastic bands or latex bands can be used to manage hair. This allows the surgical field to remain free from hair.

During pinnaplasty procedure, the surgeon makes incisions behind the ear and the cartilage may be re-shaped, folded or some part of it may be removed. After that, cartilage is pinned down with stitches to hold the ear in its new position. Finally, a dressing is placed to keep the ear comfortable.

After the ear plastic surgery, the patient is taken to the recovery site where he or she is looked after until the effect of anaesthesia gets over. Once the patient is awake again, nursing staff checks the dressing and monitors the pulse and blood pressure at regular intervals.

Usually, it takes only a month for full recovery, but it is recommended that patients who have had an ear pinning surgery should avoid playing sports for another month after that. The surgeon typically removes the stitches within 5 to 10 days of the surgery. After a week or two, patients are able to return back to their daily routine.

After pinnaplasty, your ears may feel sore and tender or numb, but it lasts for only a few days. However, you may experience a slight tingling sensation for a few weeks. It is common to have a small scar behind each ear and slight bruising around the ear. Otherwise, ear pinning surgery is a completely safe procedure.

If you have severe pain or if you experience any unexpected symptoms, you should contact the clinic where the pinnaplasty was carried out. The surgeon who treated you is the best person to deal with any complications after pinnaplasty.