Otoplasty - Dissolvable Vs Permanent Sutures

A variety of surgical techniques
are utilized to correct prominent ears. 
Many of these techniques utilize structural sutures to maintain the
shape of the newly formed ear.

When structural sutures are
utilized, they must provide stability until the wounds have healed
adequately.  This may take several
months because the ear cartilage has memory and wants to return to its original
position.  For this reason,
recurrence of prominent ears is a major complication of setback otoplasty.

The procedure can be performed with
permanent or absorbable sutures, but because of the potential for recurrence,
we always use non absorbable permanent sutures. 

In my practice, I utilize permanent sutures in order to decrease the chance of recurrence of the prominent ears over time. Even in these cases, the possibility of a suture breaking or tearing is possible, but I think the risk of recurrence due to suture relaxation or failure is lower. Each surgeon will have their own ideas and recommendations regarding techniques. 
The risks of a permanent suture are that it could extrude through the skin at some point, even years down the line. The risks of a dissolvable suture are that it could fail and lead to recurrence of the prominent ears. In my opinion, the risk of failure with dissolvable sutures outweighs the risk of potential suture issues later with permanent sutures, as these issues can be dealt with usually quite easily in the office if they occur.
Best,

Generally I think it is a good idea to use permanent suture suture performing  otoplasty surgery.  Otherwise, I think you're risking an increased chance of recurrence of the prominent ears.  The potential downsides of permanent suture ( including palpability, infection, extrusion and potential need for removal) are outweighed by the advantages of a permanent setback of the ears.

Best wishes.