Can my pointy ear be rounded out with Otoplasty? (Photos)

Question

I was born with a pointy ear and have been insecure about it my whole life. I was wondering how well my ear can be rounded out. I provided pictures of my other ear to give you an idea of what I'm hoping it can look like. My other ear isn't perfect either and I'm considering getting both ears worked on. How difficult of a procedure is this? Or can it even be done?

Randal Haworth, MD, FACS · Answer

Thanks for your question. Most patients, young and old alike, are thrilled with the results of ear surgery. But keep in mind, the goal is improvement, not perfection.  Expecting both ears to match perfectly-perfect symmetry is both unlikely and unnatural in ears. If you’ve discussed the procedure and your expectations with the surgeon before the operation, chances are, you’ll be quite pleased with the result.

Kenneth J. Andrews, MD · Answer

The left ear appears to have an excess of helical cartilage that is folding over and causing the deformity. While removing the redundant cartilage causing that folding is not a difficult procedure and could give a flatter and more natural curve to the superior helical fold, reducing the "pointiness" would likely require additional cartilage work. The danger of trying to do too much to your ears is that the skin is very thin over the ear and scarring can be difficult to anticipate as things heal down, so there can be a lot of unpredictabilty associate with surgery in that area.. Generally I would caution that the smaller the refinement the lower the potential reward and the greater risk of making things worse.

Can my pointy ear be rounded out with Otoplasty? (Photos)

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Can my pointy ear be rounded out with Otoplasty? (Photos)

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Ear Surgery

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.