What’s the recovery time for surgery to have ears pinned back?
Since I was little, I have always had ears that stuck out. I suffered thru lots of teasing as a child and doctors said that I would have to wait until I was older to do anything about. Now I am in my 20s and would like to have them pinned back. Can you please let me know the best way to find a doctor in Toronto and how much this would cost, downtime, etc
American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Dear TOM,
Thank you for your clinical post and
question. Ear pinning or the reduction
of outstanding ears involves the surgical manipulation of the cartilages of the
ear to set the ear closer back to the scalp.
This is a specialized surgery performed by specialists, plastic surgeons
or facial plastic surgeons and is generally performed under local anesthesia or
at most IV sedation. To set back an
average pair of outstanding ears takes approximately 1.5 hours and most
patients need to understand there’s a recovery period of 7-10 days where there
are sutures following redness and tenderness.
In addition, a headband is often worn for 6 weeks following surgery to
minimize recurrence of the outstanding ear.
Generally, the results from setback
otoplasty or ear pinning ear excellent and most patients are extremely happy.
Best of luck.
To schedule a consultation or find
out more, please visit http://www.spamedica.com
R. Stephen Mulholland, M.D.
Certified Plastic Surgeon
Yorkville, Toronto