I had ptosis and otoplasty surgery just 2 days ago and asked my doctor to slightly position my ears back and to correct the helix fold that I had. I said to not make it look like they are pinned to my head. In the following pictures it looks like I don't even have ears! They bent, uneven, and my earlobs are sticking out (which he says he did not touch during operation) I only wanted my ears straightened. Will this fix over time or is a definite revision necessary? I don't even want to go out.
September 29, 2014
Answer: It's only 2 days after ear surgery- You need to be patient- And cautious I agree with one of the previous physicians in that you do have what is called a "telephone ear deformity".This occurs when the mid-portion of the ear is pulled back against the head and the very top and bottom are left alone. The middle part of the ear comes in, leaving the top and bottom to bend out slightly making the ear look as if an old style telephone earpiece is pushed into the center of the ear. Your surgeon is correct in that he or she did not touch the earlobe, but unfortunately this is part of the problem. In order to get a nice natural-looking result you almost always need to fix the earlobe in order to get it to line up with the part of the ear that was pulled back.The good news is that I have seen instances in which this problem corrects itself. As the middle part of the ear moves back outwards it tends to line back up with the top and bottom and can end up looking fairly good. For this reason I wouldn't do anything right away. Time is your friend. I would watch it carefully over the next several months and see what happens. If it starts to look better and better over time nothing further may need to be done. If it has not changed much in the next 6-8 weeks you will need a revision surgery in order to get it to look normal again. I'm sure this is not what you wanted to hear but be patient, things may work out okay. In the meantime, try and maintain a good relationship with your surgeon as you may very well need his or her help in the future. Good luck.
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September 29, 2014
Answer: It's only 2 days after ear surgery- You need to be patient- And cautious I agree with one of the previous physicians in that you do have what is called a "telephone ear deformity".This occurs when the mid-portion of the ear is pulled back against the head and the very top and bottom are left alone. The middle part of the ear comes in, leaving the top and bottom to bend out slightly making the ear look as if an old style telephone earpiece is pushed into the center of the ear. Your surgeon is correct in that he or she did not touch the earlobe, but unfortunately this is part of the problem. In order to get a nice natural-looking result you almost always need to fix the earlobe in order to get it to line up with the part of the ear that was pulled back.The good news is that I have seen instances in which this problem corrects itself. As the middle part of the ear moves back outwards it tends to line back up with the top and bottom and can end up looking fairly good. For this reason I wouldn't do anything right away. Time is your friend. I would watch it carefully over the next several months and see what happens. If it starts to look better and better over time nothing further may need to be done. If it has not changed much in the next 6-8 weeks you will need a revision surgery in order to get it to look normal again. I'm sure this is not what you wanted to hear but be patient, things may work out okay. In the meantime, try and maintain a good relationship with your surgeon as you may very well need his or her help in the future. Good luck.
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October 22, 2014
Answer: Otoplasty overcorrection- a rare bird! Thanks for the great question.I believe your concerns are quite common. We would expect a 15% relaxation over time that may really help your comfort level as you proceed. As you are probably aware, there are many techniques used for performing otoplasty. The relaxation will rely more heavily on the result of this.I would recommend you contact your surgeon for instructions. You may be advised to do some massage to help relax things. You also may learn more about your anticipated recovery relaxation based on your particular scenario.The ear lobe can project quite a bit with otoplasty. This would imply that it can turn outward which I believe you are experiencing. This is well published and can be handled by shortening a cartilage in the ear called the helix where it attaches to the lobe and suturing the lobe back slightly.Best of luck!You have much improvement to look forward to.Dr. Hobgood
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October 22, 2014
Answer: Otoplasty overcorrection- a rare bird! Thanks for the great question.I believe your concerns are quite common. We would expect a 15% relaxation over time that may really help your comfort level as you proceed. As you are probably aware, there are many techniques used for performing otoplasty. The relaxation will rely more heavily on the result of this.I would recommend you contact your surgeon for instructions. You may be advised to do some massage to help relax things. You also may learn more about your anticipated recovery relaxation based on your particular scenario.The ear lobe can project quite a bit with otoplasty. This would imply that it can turn outward which I believe you are experiencing. This is well published and can be handled by shortening a cartilage in the ear called the helix where it attaches to the lobe and suturing the lobe back slightly.Best of luck!You have much improvement to look forward to.Dr. Hobgood
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