Otoplasty Procedure: Incisionless Otoplasty Vs. Traditional Method

Incisionless otoplasty is a great method of reshaping prominent ears. It is not the method of choice in all patients, but I tend to use it in a majority of patients with excellent and long lasting results. Otoplasty has been divided in the past into cartilage cutting or scoring techniques or into molding techniques. The latter involves the placement of permanent stitches to mold the cartilage of the ear into the desired shape and set back the ear against the skull. The incisionless technique uses this principle, but instead of making an incision and maybe excising skin behind the ear the stitches are placed through the skin and buried along the way. This allows a beautiul recontouring of the ear cartilage without the scar and the risks that this carries. Some ears require much more reshaping and an open technique may be desirable. In many cases I am able to combine an incisionless procedure with a small incision to access areas that are not amenable to this technique. 

Most surgeons who perform otoplasty employ the more traditional techniques, amongst which toe cartilage sparing method with permanent suture fixation is  the most popular one. The most common reasons when a technique is more popular among surgeons in any type of plastic surgery include reliability and reporoducibility  and lower risk of complications. In case of the otoplasty discussion I think all apply. But, that is just one surgeon's opinion with full respect for others perspective and experiences. 

There are many different techniques to re-shape and re-position the ears. "Incisionless" Otoplasty is not truly incisionless and does require penetrating through the skin in order to get the sutures beneath the skin. Virtually all Otoplasty techniques are going to involved the same risks, including bleeding, scarring, infection, need for revision surgery, dissatisfaction with the results, etc. 
Keep in mind that these "less invasive" techniques are only reserved for certain patients, and I find that almost all patients need some element of setting the entire ear back in addition to molding and shaping the cartilage with suture in order to obtain optimal results.
Best,