Otoplasty (Ear Correction Surgery)

Ear Pinning surgery involves ‘pinning back’ prominent ears that protrude from the head too much.

The cause of protruding ears is often down to excessive cartilage in the concha and/or an underdeveloped antihelical fold.

During the treatment your surgeon will make an incision along the crease-line behind your ear and remove any excess cartilage that is causing it to protrude. The ear cartilage is then reshaped to encourage the ear to sit in a new position, closer to the head.

Following the surgery, the area will be stitched up and a dressing wrapped around your head to support the cartilage in its new place.

The result of a Pinnaplasty procedure is naturally reshaped or resized ears that lie closer to your head. This procedure can be performed on one, or both ears to help reduce asymmetry.

If you are concerned about the enlarged size of your ears, then an ear reduction procedure can be performed to help bring oversized ears more in proportion to the rest of the face.

Macrotia is the medical term for ears that are oversized and is defined by ears that are measured to be larger than two standard deviations above the average size for an ear. Macrotia is often related to genetic health conditions such as Borjeson-Forssman-Lehmann Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome.

Large ears are not always macrotia and are often inherited from family genes.

Ear reduction or macrotia surgery involves making incisions into the back or folds of the ear and removing excess cartilage and skin from the upper, lower, or whole ear to allow the surgeon to reduce the height and/or width of the ear. Stitches are then used to close the incisions.

Ear Reduction surgery takes around 2 hours on average. Following surgery your ears will have dressing applied to the area to protect and support the ears.

Ear pinning surgery can also be combined with ear reduction surgery however this may need to be performed in two separate procedures depending on the nature of the ear reduction surgery. This is best discussed with your surgeon.

Ear correction surgery is when surgery is performed on the ear to correct a deformity that may have occurred due to injury or has been present since birth.

Ear injuries are very common and in most cases are a result of biting or lacerations which may have required emergency surgery and resulted in poor results. Ear correction surgery can help patients improve the appearance of their ears and restore confidence.

Another form of ear injury is known as cauliflower ear which is often associated with rugby players. Cauliflower ear is medically known as an auricular hematoma and is caused when there has been trauma to the ear causing a blood clot to form and separate the skin of the ear from the cartilage inside. When left untreated, it can lead to a permanent deformity of the ear. Cauliflower ear is common amongst rugby players and boxers as their ears are subjected to friction and trauma on a regular basis which overtime results in the formation of a cauliflower ear.

Ear correction surgery can be performed on cauliflower ears and usually involves lifting the skin from the ear to reshape the thick tissue back into the original shape of the ear.

Earlobe reduction is a simple day case procedure performed under local anaesthetic. It is ideal for anyone looking to reduce the size of their earlobes. Some people can feel extremely unhappy or uncomfortable with the appearance of their earlobes

We also offer earlobe repair for those that have had their earlobes torn, stretched or split from previous piercings or trauma.

Please see our tribal earlobe treatment page or split earlobe treatment page for more information about these treatments.