Ear Surgery Information
Otoplasty is the medical terminology for what most people refer to as ear surgery, ear plastic surgery, cosmetic ear surgery, and ear pinning surgery.
In this procedure the goal is to put prominent ears back closer to the head and/or reduce the size of large ears. This procedure most often is performed on children between 4 and 14 years in age. This surgery may be a medical necessity for some individuals. In these type cases the surgery may be covered by insurance.
Length and details of the Ear Surgery procedure
The length of procedure usually runs 2 to 3 hours.
For this type procedure the patient, if a young child is given general anesthesia. Older children and adults are given a general or local anesthesia, with sedation.
Depending on the extent of the surgery a patient will normally undergo an outpatient surgery.
Risks and/or complications related to Ear Surgery
For most ear surgery operations the patient will experiences potential side effects consisting of throbbing, aching, swelling, redness, and numbness. All of which are temporary in their duration.
In addition there are other associated risks with this procedure that include the risk of infection of ear cartilage, excessive scarring, and blood clots requiring draining. Some surgeries could result in unequal or non-natural looking ears. In these and protrusion reoccurrence cases, additional surgery could be required.
For most patients the recovery time needed should be between 5 to 7 days.
It will be necessarily to avoid strenuous activity and contact sports for 1 or more months.
Long-term results of Ear Surgery
In this procedure the results are typically permanent in nature.
How much does Ear Surgery cost?
The national average cost for a procedure the $2,700
Will my insurance cover an Ear Surgery procedure?
This surgery may be a medical necessity for some individuals. In these type cases the surgery may be covered by insurance.
Read more about Ear Surgery - Otoplasty. Alan Hood is a contributing writer at Houston Medical Center