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Protruding ears at birth: a congenital malformation
«When our adorable flea was born, we immediately noticed that her ears were not stuck to her head. Nothing alarming, but it was pronounced enough to see each other and ask questions. We find him very handsome as he is, of course, but we can’t help but think of the teasing he might be the victim of later.“. This testimony is quite common among young parents. Dr Ségolène Midoz, ENT doctor and head and neck surgeon in Paris, explains that this phenomenon can be hereditary: “ It is a minor congenital defect of the ears, which means that one is born with … »
If it is possible to immediately notice the presence of a detachment of the ears, for Dr. Ségolène Midoz, it would be necessary wait a few years before realizing the extent of the malformation “ I don’t think it shows a lot in infants, because the ears are very soft. It usually appears later. We especially realize this when the child receives repeated reflections at school, around 7 or 8 years old. »
Psychological consequences?
The consequences for the child would thus be more psychological than physical. Apart from rare major malformations that can affect the eardrum, protruding ears have no impact on hearing: ” It’s rarely related to that, confirms the expert. It is especially at the psychological level that this poses a problem. This can cause aesthetic and social discomfort. »
Baby has protruding ears: how to avoid being noticed?
Headband, hat and other tips: what to think?
No need to dress your baby with a headband, or other techniques to try to re-glue his ears, it has absolutely no effect, as explained by Dr Ségolène Midoz: “ Headbands only serve to hide the ears, but none of this will change their shape..
At what age can you have your ears reattached?
If the remarks at school make the child suffer, or if his reflection in the mirror becomes a source of pain, it will be possible to consider an operation called otoplastie, aimed at reattaching the ears. But beware, it’s not for now: “ The ideal time to consider otoplasty is between 9 and 12 years old », warns the ENT. If it is done before, the child is not interested, he will not endure the bandage, nor accept the post-operative pain. He must be an applicant.
Surgery as a solution to protruding ears
The operation, under general anesthesia, consists of reattaching the pinna, stitching up with threads passing from behind, and resculpting the part furthest from the skull. It lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes. But if your child does not have complexes about his ears, no need to talk to him about it! You have time to see how this evolves.