It Has Been One Month Since my Otoplasty. Is It Normal for my Ears to "Pop Out"?

Question

I have been wearing a headband constantly, except while at work. When I take it off, my ears looks great. By the end of my work day, they seem to pop out. I always put the headband back on as quick as I can fearing they will stay "out". Is this normal? Is this just the swelling causing them to pop out? Or after a month, should I expect what I'm seeing to be the final result? Thank you for any insight you can provide. :)

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

Ideally, ears after otoplasty should be about 5-10% closer to the head than ideal at the one to two week mark.  If the ears are prominent at the one month mark, you may have undercorrected ears.  Undercorrected ears is the most common postoperative complaint after otoplasty.

Philip Young, MD · Answer

Your ears really shouldn't pop out after one month. Most of the swelling should be done. At 6 months you should have 50-60% of your healing. But to be safe I would wait for 4-5 months longer to see more of your final result. You may need a revision but be patient at this tim

Andre Panossian, MD · Answer

Otoplasty ("ear pinning") can be a very rewarding procedure for patients who have been dealing with prominent ears their whole life.  As with many plastic surgical procedures, there are many ways to perform otoplasty.  Some techniques simply relying on sutures to hold the ear back or to shape the fold that causes prominent ears can have a higher rate of protrusion or recurrent prominence of the ears.  Ear cartilage in older individuals or adults can be stiff and, in all cases, possesses memory.  Therefore, otoplasty techniques in adults should be more aggressive than simple suturing technique.  There needs to be some weakening of the ear cartilage to disrupt its memory and to let it heal in a new shape.  In your case, one month postop may not be sufficient time to see the final shape.  I would encourage you to continue wearing your headband regularly for up to 3 months postop and avoid any activities that might result in blunt injury to the ears.

It Has Been One Month Since my Otoplasty. Is It Normal for my Ears to "Pop Out"?

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It Has Been One Month Since my Otoplasty. Is It Normal for my Ears to "Pop Out"?

Answers (3)

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