Otoplasty Specialist

Advanced Aesthetics Lopez Plastic Surgery

Manuel A. Lopez, MD, FACS

Facial Plastic Surgery located in Boerne, Alamo Heights, New Braunfels, & San Antonio, TX

If you or your child have large or protruding ears, you can minimize teasing and blows to self-esteem with a simple surgical procedure called otoplasty. At Advanced Aesthetics Lopez Plastic Surgery in Alamo Heights, Boerne, and San Antonio, the highly-skilled team expertly and beautifully reshapes ears to be more aesthetically pleasing. To find out if otoplasty, or ear pinning, is the right solution for you, contact the helpful Advanced Aesthetics Lopez Plastic Surgery team by phone today.

Otoplasty Q & A

What is otoplasty?

Otoplasty is a type of facial plastic surgery that reshapes or repositions your ear or ears to be more attractive and in better balance with the rest of your facial features. Although many people happily flaunt their larger-than-normal ears, if you’re self-conscious about the way you look, you don’t have to suffer anymore.

An otoplasty, sometimes called ear surgery or ear pinning, is a procedure to correct aesthetic problems such as:

Asymmetric ears
Ears that stick out too far
Ears that are too large for the face
Ears that are misshapen
Ears that were injured
Earlobes stretched from earrings
Aging ears

Advanced Aesthetics Lopez Plastic Surgery can also perform revision otoplasty if needed.

How old do you have to be for otoplasty?

If your child has overly large or protruding ears, the ideal time for otoplasty is 5-7 years old. By this time, your child’s ear cartilage is stable enough to be reshaped. The cartilage is also still pliable, so the correction is easier than at an older age.

However, you can get otoplasty at any age, including adulthood. Children often benefit from otoplasty sooner rather than later to avoid being teased and developing problems with self-esteem.

What happens during otoplasty?

Dr. Lopez at Advanced Aesthetics Lopez Plastic Surgery plans each otoplasty based on your needs and the proportion of your other facial features and your underlying bone structure. The aim of otoplasty is to create the most flattering ear shape and position so that the viewer’s gaze goes to your eyes, not your ears.

Otoplasty is as an outpatient surgical procedure. You can choose twilight anesthesia or general anesthesia. Dr. Lopez may cut away the excess ear cartilage or simply fold it over. The incision will be hidden behind your ears, so the scars are barely visible.

You need someone to drive you home after surgery. You wear a headband 24 hours a day for a couple of weeks and then switch to night-only use for another two weeks. One week after your surgery, you’ll return to Advanced Aesthetics Lopez Plastic Surgery where your provider removes your stitches and makes sure that you’re healing properly.

To set up an otoplasty consultation, contact the friendly Advanced Aesthetics Lopez Plastic Surgery team by phone today.

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