Austin Ear Surgery doctors

	Louis W. Apostolakis, MD Austin Facial Plastic Surgeon 5656 Bee Caves Road Suite E-201, Austin		9 answers
	Randy J. Buckspan, MD Austin Plastic Surgeon 630 W. 34th Street Ste 201, Austin		6 answers
	Wilberto Cortes, MD Houston Plastic Surgeon 5000 Westheimer Suite #602, Houston
	Mario Diana, MD San Antonio Plastic Surgeon 19234 Stonehue Suite 101, San Antonio
	William H. Gorman, MD Austin Plastic Surgeon 3003 Bee Caves Rd Ste 203, Austin

Recent Answers

What Happens when Otoplasty Stitches Are Left in Too Long? I'm having my otoplasty stitches removed exactly 21 days after surgery. They're not infected, only a little sore. will removing them after waiting so long be very painful?

A: Otoplasty Suture Removal Timing

Otoplasty involves two sets of sutures. There are sutures in the cartilage which are under the skin and will remain in your ears for the rest of your life. Sometimes you can feel a little bump where a know is from these sutures but usually you can't.

The other set of sutures is in the skin. These hold the skin together until it is healed and then they are removed. I use disolvable sutures which often times don't need to be removed because they simply fall out after a week or two. If your surgeon used non-dissolving sutures then they need to be removed. Usually they would be removed about a week after surgery. If they are left for a long time, they can leave marks in the skin. Of course, in this situation the marks would be in the crease behind your ear where no one could see them. Removing these stitches might hurt a little, but not much. The fact that it is 3 weeks after surgery isn't likely to make it hurt any different than if it were one week.

Louis W. Apostolakis, MD

Austin Facial Plastic Surgeon

How Long Will the Stiffness Last? i had Otoplasty ear pinning exactly one year ago and my ears are still stiff, is that normal? also the result is not what i expected, since the stiffness is still there does that mean the ears are still healing and i should see improvment after the stiffness goes away?

A: Some Ear Stiffness May be Permanent After Otoplasty

The two most common problems requiring an Otoplasty is an ear that lacks folds of cartilage within itself and ears that stand up to sharply against the bone. Most otoplasty candidates have some of both problems.

If the only thing that needs correction is the lack of internal cartilage folds, the sutures placed to create the folds will not affect the ears "stiffness", at least not as far as how it moves against your skull when you tug on it.

If your ear stood to sharply off of the bone, then there are likely sutures that were placed between the ear cartilage and the bone. These will prevent the ear from moving around as easily. This affect is likely permanent.

As far as your ear appearance is concerned. I expect at one year the appearance is probably more or less final. If you are not pleased with it, I think it is worth discussing with your surgeon.

Louis W. Apostolakis, MD

Austin Facial Plastic Surgeon

Otoplasty Recovery Time What was your recovery time after an otoplasty? How long did it take to heal from the ear surgery?

A: Ear Surgery Recovery Is Fairly Simple

Otoplasty is a procedure that most of my patients return to their normal life after 24 hours. The ears rarely bruise, the incision is tucked deep in the crease behind the ear, and pain is only a mild ache. Usually the ears are a bit pink and inflamed for a week, not that much different than they might look after being out in the cold for a couple hours. As most patients with prominent ears have been hiding them with their hair for years prior to the surgery, it is usually very easy for these people to continue to hide them for another week, keeping the surgery a secret.

Louis W. Apostolakis, MD

Austin Facial Plastic Surgeon