Contents
Protruding ears can be a drama for our baby. Operate or try to convince that appearance does not matter? The decision is not easy.
– It is definitely worth consulting a psychologist – says Dr. Janusz Greese-Łyko, a specialist in plastic surgery. He emphasizes that the indication for surgery is primarily the expectation of a change in appearance on the part of the patient. – It often happens that it is a disease of parents who have the ambition to have an ideal offspring. However, if a child suffers from its appearance and closes in on itself, then it is hard to have doubts – she adds. Lack of self-acceptance and difficulties in interacting with peers can cause great frustration for a child.
Model ear
Dr. Greese-Łyko explains that protruding ears are referred to as the distance between the tip of the auricle and the skull bone is about 2 cm or more. However, he adds that this is a very relative thing, because in a patient with a small turbinate and a large head, this deformity is not noticeable. The shape of the auricle is determined by the structure of the cartilage skeleton. The most common cause of protruding ears is an inadequately formed dam, i.e. a protuberance, behind which the pinna bends towards the head. In the first stage of fetal life, the auricle is flat, only with time unevenness and creases appear, creating a characteristic shape. If the cartilage formation process is not going well, the auricle does not have the proper curvature and the ears stick out. However, it may also happen that the dam has developed properly, but the ears are larger than usual.
Before he goes to school
Plastic ear surgery is not performed on children when they are in the period of intensive cartilage growth, because the procedure may inhibit it. The ear grows intensively until the age of 12. Then it is also best to perform the procedure. However, according to psychologists, it would be good to solve the problem before the child goes to school, so as not to expose him to stress related to adaptation difficulties in the new environment. At the age of 7, the turbinate reaches about 80-90 percent. its target size. The possible risk of stunting the growth will be less of a harm than the psychological loss that the child may suffer due to the lack of peer acceptance. So it’s best to have surgery between the ages of 6 and 7 before the toddler goes to school.
Only under anesthesia
Dr. Greese-Łyko explains that such an operation in children is performed under anesthesia because they do not cooperate with the doctor during the procedure. Before its performance, it is advisable to talk the child and parents with a psychologist. In addition, a small patient undergoes diagnostic tests, necessary for general anesthesia and surgical intervention, e.g. blood count or examination of the coagulation system.
The treatment is best done in spring or autumn. In winter, the patient may frostbite his ears, because after the operation, the auricle is deprived of feeling for some time. In summer, it is more difficult to maintain hygiene, because the child may sweat intensively.
The procedure takes about an hour, sometimes even two.
Methods for standing out
There are several methods of surgical resolution of the problem of protruding ears. The first is to form a dike, i.e. to bend it correctly and fix its shape by inserting permanent internal seams. The skin is cut at the back behind the ear. After the cartilage is exposed, the surgeon folds the dome and puts on permanent sutures that hold its shape, and then sutures the skin. If, after a few months, it turns out that the internal seams securing the fold are visible, they can be removed without detriment to the effect of the treatment. According to Dr. Greese-Łyko, this method is the safest because it does not interfere with the cartilage. After surgery, correction surgery is sometimes necessary, but it does not require drastic surgical interventions.
The second method is cutting out a piece of cartilage and placing sutures in such a way that its surface collapses. The method is effective, but if complications arise, repairing it is very complicated.
Turquoise in a band
After the procedure, due to anesthesia, the child stays at the clinic overnight.
The first follow-up examination should take place on the second day. The doctor must check whether a hematoma has developed. It is important that the dressing is not too tight as it can form a pressure ulcer which can damage the cartilage. If everything is fine, the next medical check-up will be carried out after a few days. The doctor must make sure that there is no infection.
The surgical sutures placed under the auricle are removed after two weeks. For 14 days after the operation, the child should wear a blindfold over the ears all the time, as the slightest trauma can cause the sutures to burst and the auricle will come off again. Then, for a month more, the headband is put on overnight in order not to damage the ears or crush them the other way around in a dream. For two or three months the little patient should not be in physical education lessons.
Adhesion cost
A contraindication to surgery may be the child’s health condition, which does not allow for anesthesia, and mental illness.
The cost of the procedure is from 3 to 4,5 thousand. zloty.