I had an otoplasty procedure done last Wednesday, and I am still in a lot of pain. I am in the most pain while wearing my sports headband around my ears. My surgeon wants me to wear the headband 24/7 for two weeks. It hurts a lot, and when I finally remove it to clean my ears (twice a day) or shower, my ears pulse with pain, almost like I can feel my heartbeat in my ears. It is just a constant throbbing pulse. The pain goes away about an hour after removing the headband.
Answers (3)
From board-certified doctors and trusted medical professionals
No dressings, compression garments or headbands should ever be tightly applied over recently operated areas. The headband essentially serves the purpose of protecting the ear from accidental bumps, and to remind the wearer to be careful and considerate of the recently operated area....
Occassionally this happens and the best course is to remove the suture. In my experience, most often this will not affect the result as there is good scar tissue supporting the "new" shape by now. If there IS some "rebound" toward the old shape, you may resuture that spot.
As of September 2014, my colleagues and I have treated >450 patients, mostly in the United Kingdom (where I am based) but also in Croatia. These patients have provided us with a reasonable database on which to form our opinions on the effectiveness of treatment, indications for treatment...