Will an Otoplasty Improve my Hearing? Doctor Answers, Tips
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Will an Otoplasty Improve my Hearing?

I know that an otoplasty will make the ears look better, but does this also help improve hearing?

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36 Doctor Answers | Asked by anon
+3

What did you say? Otoplasty to improve hearing?

No, otoplasty does not help improve hearing. In some severe cases, the cartilage of the external ear may impinge upon the ear canal, but I have never seen or heard of a complete blockage that otoplasty corrected.
+2

Will an Otoplasty Improve my Hearing?

This is a good question. Otoplasty is a purely aesthetic procedure used mostly to fix protruding pinna and ear lobes, which are both part of the external ear. Hearing, however, is mostly concerned with the inner ear: ear drum, malleus, cochlea, auditory nerve, etc, and is a highly specialized system that works together to allow you to hear things. It is very unlikely that any part of otoplasty, which focuses mostly on the cartilage of the outer ear, would improve your hearing in any way.... more
+2

Otoplasties don't improve hearing

An otoplasty is a cosmetic procedure to improve the appearance of your ears. Typically it is done for ears that protrude too far from the head. This would have no bearing on hearing.

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+2

An otoplasty won't improve hearing. But let's make sure...

An otoplasty won't improve hearing. But let's make sure we're talking about the right operation: Otoplasty is an operation to improve the appearance of prominent ears. Auricular reconstruction is an operation for correcting microtia, a condition where the ear is congenitally absent or underdeveloped. This operation is a multi-stage procedure and often also improves hearing (mainly by surgery directed to the ear canal and middle ear, but also a little bit from creation of a pinna--the part... more
+2

A true otoplasty will not effect your hearing. Otoplasty...

A true otoplasty will not effect your hearing. Otoplasty refers to the cosmetic changing of the external ear that you can see. If you should have a blockage of the ear canal then a surgery can be performed to open the ear canal which could improve your hearing - but this operation is not an otoplasty.
+1

Otoplasty and Hearing

No, otoplasty is an aesthetic procedure intended to correct protruding ears. It is not intended to correct hearing.
+1

Never

Otoplasties aim is to improve ear aesthetics and shape. It will never improve patients hearing,
+1

Otoplasty and hearing

An otoplasty is a cosmetic procedure to improve the appearance of your ears. It has no effect on your hearing.
+1

Hearing IS affected by otoplasty! Bur hearing deficits are not improved.

Interestingly, most of the answere here by my colleagues are generally correct in that otoplasty (which corrects the appearance of the external sound-catching cartilage and skin structure on our skulls) does not change the actual hearing apparatus (tympanic membrane, internal ear bones, and semicircular canals inside our skulls) that allows us to turn vibrations in the air into nerve signals that our brains percieve as sound. BUT, let's do a quick experiment. Cup your hands... more
+1

Otoplasty Improves Appearance of Ear But Not Hearing

Surgey to change the shape of the external ear or Otoplasty has no effect on the hearing. Typicaly some of the external folds of the ear are reshaped or the base of the ear is brought closer to the head by removing some of the overly prominent cartilage. This has no significant effect on the hearing mechanism of the middle or inner ear.  
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