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.
Answer: My doctor over corrected my ears. Can this be fixed? Patience is tough when it involves the face. You are only 2 days post-op, so try to resist the urge to evaluate the results of your surgery too soon. You do have a mild telephone ear deformity and slight overcorrection; however, this may relax and correct itself over the next 4-6 months. If at that time, you are still displeased, discuss this with your surgeon and seek revision surgery (yes, this problem can be fixed if it remains). If he/ she is unwilling or disagrees with your assessment, seek another opinion with a facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon. The best thing you can do right now is to keep a tight relationship with your surgeon, follow all of his/ her post-operative instructions, and wait it out. I wish you well!
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Answer: My doctor over corrected my ears. Can this be fixed? Patience is tough when it involves the face. You are only 2 days post-op, so try to resist the urge to evaluate the results of your surgery too soon. You do have a mild telephone ear deformity and slight overcorrection; however, this may relax and correct itself over the next 4-6 months. If at that time, you are still displeased, discuss this with your surgeon and seek revision surgery (yes, this problem can be fixed if it remains). If he/ she is unwilling or disagrees with your assessment, seek another opinion with a facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon. The best thing you can do right now is to keep a tight relationship with your surgeon, follow all of his/ her post-operative instructions, and wait it out. I wish you well!
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October 2, 2014
Answer: Otoplasty results can always be fixed as you do have minimal ear show on your photos. As mentioned by others, at this point you can either wait it out and see how much relaxation you get or you could open the incisions and cut the sutures holding you down and then come back another time for a second shot at it. Hopefully it will relax to your liking but your should also keep your surgeon in the loop as to what your concerns are so he can be involved in the decision making process.
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October 2, 2014
Answer: Otoplasty results can always be fixed as you do have minimal ear show on your photos. As mentioned by others, at this point you can either wait it out and see how much relaxation you get or you could open the incisions and cut the sutures holding you down and then come back another time for a second shot at it. Hopefully it will relax to your liking but your should also keep your surgeon in the loop as to what your concerns are so he can be involved in the decision making process.
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December 10, 2014
Answer: Otoplasty concerns Sorry to hear of your worries. At 2 days, it is way too early to predict your final result. There can be considerable relaxation in otoplasty, so your final result may not show for 3 to 6 months. Hang in there and keep your plastic surgeon advised of all your concerns. Best of luck.
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December 10, 2014
Answer: Otoplasty concerns Sorry to hear of your worries. At 2 days, it is way too early to predict your final result. There can be considerable relaxation in otoplasty, so your final result may not show for 3 to 6 months. Hang in there and keep your plastic surgeon advised of all your concerns. Best of 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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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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