Otoplasty: Plastic Surgery to Repair and Reshape The Ear
This article discusses when otoplasty is needed and what it is used to accomplish.
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Most people know a few others who have had otoplasty. Not too many people would recognize the term as referring to plastic surgery for the outer ear. Otoplasty holds the interesting position of being a form of cosmetic surgery performed on more children than adults. The reason for this is that many times otoplasty repairs genetic defects of the auricle or outer ear more often than it does damage caused by trauma or surgery.
Protruding ears are the number one reason for having otoplasty.
Some children are born with ears that are prominent because the stick out to far from the sides of the head. This deformity is corrected by pinning the ears back. This is a simple procedure and performed often. By having their ears pinned back in early childhood, these children are spared a lot of the sometimes aggressive teasing by their peers and others. This procedure helps children develop higer self esteem and a better self image. Some children report significantly improved hearing after the surgery. For the best psychological results, this surgery should happen before the child starts to school.
Otoplasty can reconstruct a missing outer ear.
This birth defect happens when a child is born without a visible outer ear. While it is most frequently an affliction of only one ear, it can affect both in some cases. The ear is reconstructed from other tissue on the site where the ear should have been. This is not a simple procedure and the recovery time until the area appears normal should be expected to last several months.
Otoplasty can correct other ear deformities.
Excessively large ears can be reduced in size by cosmetic surgery. Children born with pointed ears like Spock on Star Trek can have this irregularity caused by a folding of the ear cartilage corrected. Various other abnormalities can also be fixed by otoplasty. Those who have lost a portion of their ear from cancer or trauma often turn to otoplasty to have reconstruction performed to restore the previous look of the outer ear.
Most otoplasty is paid for by insurance companies.
Although you should always check with your insurance provider before having any type of plastic surgery, otoplasty is one that is generally covered. The reason for this is because it is not considered to be a vanity issue. The psychological issues from deformed or damaged ears can be severe enough to alter a person’s quality of life negatively in a dramatic fashion. This is especially true for children who are the major recipients of this type of plastic surgery.
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sandie | Aug 11, 2009 | Reply
thanks for sharing.