Ear Surgery (Otoplasty) Seattle 

Otoplasty (Cosmetic Ear Surgery) in Seattle, Washington is a surgical procedure used to improve the appearance of protruding ears or to reduce the size of large ears. It can also help correct ear deformities such as “lop ear,” “cupped ear,” “shell ear” and split or torn ear lobes.  Otoplasty also known as ear pinning surgery is a surgical designed to set back outstanding or prominent ears (sometimes called Dumbo ears).  This surgery can improve a person’s self-confidence and eliminate teasing and bullying that some children can suffer because of the size and shape of their ears.

An otoplasty procedure typically does two things:

1. set prominent ears back closer to the head.
2. reduce the size of large ears.

Ear surgery may also be performed to correct the following problems:

• Large or protruding ears
• Shell ear (no outer curve in the cartilage)
• Cupped ear (a small ear)
• Large, stretched, gaged or torn earlobes
• Earlobes with large creases and wrinkles
• Lop ear (top of the ear folds downward or inward)

 

Click here for Before and After Photos

Who is a candidates for an otoplasty?

Otoplasty surgery may be for Seattle area patients who feels self-conscious about their ears and wants to improve their appearance.  Although ear pinning surgery for prominent ears is most often performed on children aged four to sixteen, this procedure can be very beneficial to people of all ages.  Ears are almost fully grown by age four, and early surgery can prevent a child from being teased in school.

Otoplasty Procedure

Otoplasty, also known as ear pinning, generally lasts one to two hours and is performed on an outpatient basis.  Local anesthesia or conscious sedation anesthesia is used depending upon the patient.

Ear pinning surgery involves a small incision made behind the ear, in the natural crease where the ear meets the head.   After that, the cartilage is sculpted and bent into its new position to achieve the desired appearance.

After sculpting the cartilage to the preferred shape, sutures are used to hold the ear in the new position until healing is complete. A bandage is then wrapped around the head to ensure the new positioning.

Otoplasty Recovery

Ear pinning surgery patients will have some discomfort that is normally controlled very well with Tylenol or a NSAID like Ibuprophen (Motrin or Advil).  The head dressing can be removed at 24 hours and the patient can shower right after that.

Split Earlobe Repair

Ear lobe repair for a split ear lobe is, in most cases, a straight forward repair that can be performed in the office in less than 20 minutes under local anesthesia.  About 6 to 12 weeks after the surgery, the lobe can be re-pierced.  The cost of the repair depends on the extent of the repair and if just one or both ears need surgery.

Otoplasty Cost

The price of an otoplasty varies between regions.  Ear pinning prices in the Seattle area range from $3000 to $6000 according to RealSelf.  The cost at our office can be found here.