Plastic surgery performed to change the shape of the ears is called otoplasty. This is a fairly simple, accessible procedure that allows you to fix the problem associated with the wrong shape of the ears as quickly as possible. This defect is purely aesthetic in nature, and nevertheless, it causes significant emotional inconvenience to a person. Especially when children face this. Protruding or large ears often cause ridicule of peers. Fortunately, the procedure is so easy that it is often prescribed to children from the age of 7 years. Moreover, the otoplasty price is quite affordable – which means that everyone can correct an exciting defect.

There are quite a lot of reasons for performing an operation to change the shape of the ears. The main ones are:

• Protruding ears (lop-eared);
• Developmental defects (irregular shape, asymmetry);
• Traumatic damage to the auricle or earlobe;
• Large-sized auricles;
• If the ear is severely damaged or missing, otoplasty is performed to create a new auricle.
• Most of the otoplasty is aesthetic surgery. This is basically a correction of lop-earedness. About 80% of patients come to clinics with such a problem. The advantage of the procedure is that this defect is corrected fairly quickly.

Surgery to correct the shape of the auricle is conditionally divided into 2 main types:

• Aesthetic. The main goal. The goal is to eliminate only a visual defect (shape, location, size of the ears);
• Reconstructive. It is carried out, as a rule, after ear injury. The main purpose of the procedure is the restoration of the auricle.
• The required type of otoplasty is selected during a preliminary consultation with a plastic surgeon.

Contraindications to otoplasty can be called "standard", as they are similar for any other plastic surgery. These are:

• The acute phase of inflammatory diseases;
• Oncology;
• Diabetes mellitus;
• Blood clotting disorder;
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• Allergy to local anesthetics.

In addition, it is not recommended to perform surgery for pregnant and breast-feeding women. There are practically no age restrictions. The procedure can be carried out from the age of 7.

Preparation for plastic surgery does not take much time. first of all, a consultation is held with a plastic surgeon, who determines the degree of the defect, selects the most appropriate method of surgery. During the consultation, a model can be created showing how a person`s ears will change after the procedure. You can also view photos of ear pinning "before and after" - so you can evaluate the professionalism of the surgeon and make sure that you actually get the desired result.

You should also consult with an otolaryngologist and take a "standard" package of tests. These include:

• Blood test (general, Rh factor, group, biochemistry);
• HBsAg + HCV, RW (combined analysis - HIV, syphilis, hepatitis);
• Urine analysis;
• Covid19 test.
• In the presence of chronic diseases, consultation with the attending physician is recommended.
• Since in most cases the operation is performed under local anesthesia, there are no special requirements for preoperative preparation. So, first of all, there are no restrictions regarding food – with this type of anesthesia, the patient can eat even immediately before the procedure. The exception is otoplasty performed under general anesthesia. In this case, it is undesirable to eat and drink a few hours before the operation.

Otoplasty refers to simple surgical operations. The procedure itself consists of the following steps:

• patient preparation - the working area on which the operation will be performed is cleared;
• anesthesia is performed;
• the marking of the location of the incision performed by the surgeon is applied, the areas that will be corrected are highlighted;
• an incision is made – in order to provide the surgeon with the most comfortable access, it is made on the back of the auricle. The plus in this situation is also the fact that after healing the scar will not be noticeable;
• the shape of the auricle is corrected, the cartilage tissue is excised, the symmetry of the ears is restored;
• the surgeon sews the wound with a special superficial cosmetic suture;
• a bandage is applied.

The whole procedure, depending on its complexity, takes from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours. After the operation, the patient remains in the clinic for 1-2 hours under the supervision of a specialist. After this time, he is discharged. There is no need for inpatient hospital stay.

Today, laser ear surgery is performed by many specialists. A distinctive feature of this procedure is the use of a laser instead of a scalpel. This method allows you to reduce blood loss and tissue injury during the procedure. In addition, when using a laser, healing takes place much faster.

Since the operation is extremely simple, recovery takes place almost imperceptibly for a person. Since only minor tissue damage occurs during otoplasty, after otoplasty, patients do not have bruises and swelling, as it happens during other plastic surgery.

After 1-2 days, a person can return to their usual life. For some time, you will have to wear a light compression bandage – it is necessary to fix the position of the ears until the tissues are completely healed. The stitches are removed 6-7 days after the procedure. After that, you should visit the surgeon several more times in order to control the healing process. Finally, the result becomes noticeable 2-4 weeks after the operation.

Postoperative rehabilitation has practically no restrictions for the patient. The only thing to avoid is excessive physical activity. They should be abandoned for 2-3 weeks after surgery.

There are quite a lot of clinics offering the procedure for correcting the shape of the ears today. Therefore, patients often face a certain difficulty in choosing. It is important to understand – even if otoplasty refers to simple procedures with a minimum number of complications, but if an ear operation is already planned, the ear surgery cost should not be the main factor when choosing a surgeon.

At the same time, it does not matter where exactly the clinic you have chosen is located. The simplicity of otoplasty allows you to perform the operation even during a vacation in a distant country. Damage and rehabilitation are minimal, which means that you can not only relax, but also eliminate such an unloved flaw in appearance.

Plastic surgery itself can be quite intimidating. But otoplasty refers to operations, which actually takes place almost without complications, does not require long rehabilitation. And most importantly – with its help, you can easily cope with the problem of irregular shape of the ears, which often "torments" people for many years.