What can I do about my chronic pain after otoplasty?

Question

I had an otoplasty when i was 17 . I didn't get good cosmetic results so I had another one by another doctor. Ever since the surgeries -it's been 4 years now-both ears hurt sometimes very bad as if a knife is poking them and sometimes the pain totally disappears. The pain is mostly in the upper part where the protrusion was and where the stitches were put . It really gets hard to live with this disabling pain . Could you please tell me what could cause my chronic pain ?

Stephen Weber MD, FACS · Answer

This is a very difficult problem to remedy. A surgeon might consider removing the permanent sutures to alleviate the pain. The two risks of doing this are that you might have no improvement in your pain (or possibly worsening) and your ears might re-protrude after suture removal. I hope this information is helpful for you.Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon

Waldemar Merck, MD · Answer

There shouldn’t be pain anymore such a long time after an otoplasty operation. It would be good to know whether permanent stitches were used. Find out whether this is the case and have your ears examined to see whether threads are perhaps lying exposed. If this is the case, these must be removed. Even if no exposed threads can be seen, I’d recommend that you have all the permanent stitches removed and, when the pain has then disappeared, to have them replaced by another permanent suture material later on.

What can I do about my chronic pain after otoplasty?

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What can I do about my chronic pain after otoplasty?

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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.