Ear Cartilage was Removed During Revision Rhinoplasty, Have Had Ear Pain Since, Normal?

Dear nosegal

You have done the right thing by having the ear evaluated. Ear cartilage sites usualy hurt for less than a 2-4 weeks, except when bumped.  Be very specific about describing the pain to your doctor the next time, with emphasis on:


the exact place that you feel the pain,

whether it is throbbing, sharp, or radiating;

what makes it feel better,

when the ear hurts the worst. and 

whether it is related to when you pop your ears. 


It may be unrelated to the surgery, but have it checked out again.

Best Wishes

Ear pain is a very vague description. If you have pain at thisp oint, you  may have a neuroma from the sensory branch where the incision was made. Hard to say without an exam.

It's very common to struggle with localized ear discomfort after surgery.  However, one would expect that after 1 year this would all subside.  It's not uncommon to have intermittent inflammation in the area, however, and if you've had a formal evaluation that didn't turn up anything sinister this is all that is likely going on.  My recommendation would be to start a regimen of ibuprofen 400mg at a time separated every 6 hours.  If the pain completely subsides after taking this regimen for 3 or 4 days then you have your answer.  If not then you should seek a repeat evaluation just to double check that all is well.

It is not normal to have ear pain 2 years after cartilage removal. Ear cartilage is frequently used in revision rhinoplasty, but I've never seen this problem. Possible explanations include scar contracture or persistent sensory nerve irriation. Hopefully, careful examination by your surgeon will determine the cause so alternative treatments can be discussed.

Not sure.  I've taken ear cartilage grafts for Rhinoplasty many times and have never heard this type of complaint, especially 2 years out.  Most likely scar tissue, from the surgery, is putting pressure on some sensory nerve of the ear.  Not much to do about it IMHO.