How many days after an otoplasty should i wear a bandage around my head/ears?

Following Otoplasty surgery, my patients typically have their ears bandaged for 48 hours.  I typically see patients in 24 hours after surgery, and remove the bandages to examine the surgical sites.  I then rewrap the patient for an additional 24 hours to keep gentle compression on the ears.  At the patient's 48 hour follow up appointment all bandages are removed and the patient is given an elastic headband to wear 24/7 for the remaining week after surgery.  They are then asked to wear it to bed for a month.  Unilateral or "one sided" Otoplasty can be performed to correct ear asymmetry.  Otoplasty in a delicate surgery, and I suggest you find an experienced surgeon.  Good Luck!

Thanks for your question. 3 days is a perfectly normal amount of time to be required to wear the dressing following your Otoplasty procedure. You should also be required to wear a headband following the removal of the dressing. Your surgeon will advise you of the length of time at your post op appointment. Most patients are back to regular activities within 1-2 weeks after an Otoplasty.

Whether a bandage has to be worn and for how long will depend on the method of otoplasty used. With the invasive, traditional methods, a bandage is usually prescribed for 1 or 2 weeks. There are also clinics that apply a bandage for 3 to 4 weeks. If one (or two ears) is pinned with the minimally invasive Merck stitch method, no bandage must be worn.

An otoplasty can be performed on 1 ear, or both ears depending upon the anatomy.  If only one ear sticks out, than only one ear surgery is performed.  In our practice, we ask patients to wear a headband at night sleeping for the first 2 weeks after the procedure, however is unnecessary to wear anything during the daytime.  Otoplasty is usually performed under local anesthesia. For more information and many examples, please see the  link below

Every surgeon has his or her own routine when it comes down to after surgery care. Specifically, it is not out of the norm to have your surgeon take the dressing down at day three and then wear a headband to protect the correction for 4-6 weeks after the surgery. If the opposite ear is not in need of modification, then surgery on the affected ear to match the opposite ear is good strategy.