Ear Correction (Otoplasty)

Common Risks

1. Infection—
   Occasionally an infection may develop, requiring antibiotics and, possibly, drainage. Very rarely, the cartilage can become infected, requiring some removal of cartilage and either long-term oral antibiotics or a hospital stay and intravenous antibiotics.
    
2. Bleeding—
   Excessive bruising or collection of blood into the ear can occur, requiring further time to resolve or surgical drainage. By avoiding aspirin and aspirin- containing products for two weeks before and two weeks after surgery, you can markedly decrease the possibility of this complication.
    
3. Stitch Reaction—
   In rare cases, some of the permanent cartilage stitches can cause irritation or extrusion, requiring their removal. If necessary, this is performed in our office under local anesthesia and no pain is involved.
    
4. Loss of correction or less than optimum shape—
   Depending on the severity of the problem, touch up or revision surgery may be necessary. This is seldom performed less than 12 to 18 months after your original surgery in order to allow the ears to stabilize and swelling to resolve. When given sufficient time, many problems self-correct. Also, the goal of ear correction surgery is improvement, not perfection; it is important that your expectations be reasonable.
    
5. Numbness—
   Occasionally, surgery may result in some temporary numbness. In rare cases, this can be permanent.

A NOTE ON SATISFACTION AND DISSATISFACTION
It is important that you work with the doctor to establish realistic appearance goals. More than seventy items contribute to a surgical result. With aesthetic surgery, good results are nearly always achieved. When you are willing to reserve final judgment for a period of six months to a year, our results are usually excellent.

Beautiful paintings and sculptures by world-renowned artists have small imperfections, but these are rarely scrutinized. Instead, one sees the overall beauty and mastery of the art. In order to remain natural looking, cosmetic surgery will result in small imperfections when closely scrutinized. To avoid these, the doctor would have to use techniques such as over-correction and distortion of the features. Instead, we utilize an artistic approach while maintaining your safely. We strive for a youthful, yet natural look—the mark of an artist.

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