Ear surgery (otoplasty)

Otoplasty is a procedure to correct the shape of the auricle or earlobe. During the operation, the plastic surgeon gives the ears a neat and symmetrical shape, eliminates various aesthetic defects, and corrects the lop–ear. That helps the patient eliminate psychological problems and complexes associated with the unaesthetic location and asymmetric shape of the ears. The operation lasts about 1. 5 hours under general anesthesia. Firstly, the plastic surgeon makes an incision with a scalpel on the skin behind the auricle. In some cases, an incision is required on the front of the ear – in this case, the surgeon uses a scalpel to apply them in the ear's natural folds, making them invisible. Next, the doctor gently separates the skin from the cartilage, removes part of the skin on the back of the ear, and then bends the cartilage back. In the end, the surgeon applies stitches that fix the new position of the cartilage tissue. After surgery, the plastic surgeon puts a fixing bandage on the head to fix the ears in a new position. In most cases, after ear surgery, the patient has slight pain. Therefore, the physician prescribes painkillers to reduce discomfort. In addition, for some time after the otoplasty, it is recommended to wear a pressure bandage.