Can Ear Surgeries Be Revised?

Occasionally, patients who undergo
otoplasty require secondary revisional surgery.  This type of surgery can be performed when residual
deformities are present but can be difficult. Post-surgical changes and scarring
can contribute to this difficulty.

When the ears are too close to the
side of the head, revision can be accomplished by releasing structural sutures
and scarring.  In most cases
symmetry can be accomplished with this approach. Occasionally a bilateral
procedure may be necessary to obtain symmetry.  This might involve bringing the opposite ear closer to the head with additional structural sutures.

It’s important to discuss these
issues with your plastic surgeon. 
After a physical exam your surgeon should be able to formulate an
appropriate treatment plan for your asymmetry.

Reversing an otoplasty can be challenging and difficult to predict. However, if this is a concern, the wound can be explored and possibly reversed. 

It is possible to reverse slightly the ear that is pinned too much although it is a challenging procedure. It might be easier to pin the other ear back further. Conservative measures if your are not too far out can help the ear that is pinned back too much as well. I hope this information helps.

The answer is - probably. You should first allow adequate time to completely heal following your otoplasty procedure. This means waiting up to 6-9 months before making a final judgement regarding the outcome. It is not unusual for the ears to heal in an asymmetric manner. This can be explained by many factors, including degree of asymmetry before the procedure as well as bleeding or swelling on one side more than the other. Eventually much of the asymmetry noted during the first few months resolves, leaving the ears looking more even down the road.

If there is still a difference that is obvious, most experienced otoplasty surgeons can perform a revision procedure to improve the situation. This might involve bringing one ear in further or releasing one ear to allow it to move outward a short distance. I would recommend revisiting the surgeon who performed the ear reshaping, since they would know best what was done to the ears the first time. Good luck.

Revision of otoplasty is possible but not always easy. The most common type of revision is for minor asymmetries. Ears that are pulled too tight against the head may require use of skin grafts to correct.