Why didn't my doctor wrap my head with a bandage and not even ask me to wear headband? (Photo)

Question

I did otoplasty and right after its done the doctor did not put any bandage on and instead just covered the incision area with some dressing taped to it. He did not even ask me to protect my ears with anything during sleep. I find it very weird and very unprofessional of him. Im scared that i will not get the results that i want because of his method.

Amiya Prasad, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. You submitted a photo of your ear after otoplasty with what appears to be some steri-strips. You’re stating your surgeon didn't put any kind of bandage after your otoplasty, and didn't particularly provide guidance on how to protect the ear during sleep. You feel your surgeon was being unprofessional, and you’re concerned the lack of certain aftercare instructions you have obviously researched is not going get the final result you desire.
I can give you some guidance as to how I do otoplasty, my general approach, and why I do things the way I do to help you in context of your surgeon’s approach. A little background: I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. I have been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. Otoplasty of different types is something I perform in our practice, and I have certain aftercare approaches I will share with you to give you a sense of why I do it this way, and some perspective as to why your surgeon chose a different way. 
We’ll start with the fear that you have about your surgeon’s level of professionalism. I think it’s premature to cast unprofessionalism upon your surgeon. As surgeons, we have our own styles based on our experience. To give you an idea of what I mean, when I was in training learning face lifting surgery, I had one preceptor who after face lifting surgery, wrapped the patient in many bandages, and put multiple drains, then put a plaster cast over the head. The day after surgery, we have to take all of that apart, pull drains, and do all kinds of things. Certainly my preceptor had his justification, but in my own practice in the way I do my face lifting surgery, I changed the way I did my dressings to match the way I did my surgery. 
In otoplasty, one significant concern is the accumulation of fluid between the skin and the cartilage. To reduce that risk, we place a compression-type dressing for the first 24-48 hours, then change that dressing. Typically, once everything is clear, I’ll have the patient wear a sports headband especially when going to sleep to minimize the risk of the ear bending in the opposite direction, putting some stress on the healing of the areas where the sutures are ,and raw edges that are still healing.  I think that’s the general idea and philosophy of a lot of my colleagues.
That said, in your situation, your surgeon may have done dissection which they felt was very clean that didn't appear to cause them concern. Maybe from experience, they’ve decided putting some steri-strips is adequate, which is a matter of that doctor’s personal choice. I think it is very important for you to have a dialogue with your doctor. It is likely you chose your doctor after seeing before and after examples of their otoplasties, and you made the decision the way most people do when they chose their doctor - based on that doctor’s experience, and expertise and mastery of a particular procedure. If your doctor has a rational justification for their approach, then that’s part of the dynamics of trust between the doctor and the patient. If the doctor may decide to help you maybe feel a little more secure and do something such as wearing the sport headband at night, that’s part of the synergy between the patient and the physician.
An individual doctor’s style hopefully is reflective of their experience. I think you can get a lot more clarification by having this conversation directly with your surgeon. I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck, and thank you for your question.This personalized video answer to your question is posted on RealSelf and on YouTube. To provide you with a personal and expert response, we use the image(s) you submitted on RealSelf in the video, but with respect to your privacy, we only show the body feature in question so you are not personally identifiable. If you prefer not to have your video question visible on YouTube, please contact us.

Waldemar Merck, MD · Answer

It depends on the method with which you were operated on. If it was the minimally invasive Merck Stitch Method, a bandage is not necessary. However, one should wear a headband (similar to that worn by sportsmen) at night for the first 4 weeks to protect the ears from being bent forwards during sleep. If you were operated on with one of the traditional methods, a bandage is worn day and night for at least a week. Ask your surgeon why this did not happen.

Robert H. Hunsaker, MD · Answer

I typically do not put bandages on adults after otoplasty, and I do a LOT of otoplasties. I do recommend a GENTLE fitting headband or cap at night just to make it easier to sleep. If you accidentally roll on it, it will likely waken you but would be unlikely to damage it.I see nothing inherently "wrong" in not recommending it, but if you have concerns simply ask your surgeon if it would be O.K. if you used one. You don't want tight though.

Why didn't my doctor wrap my head with a bandage and not even ask me to wear headband? (Photo)

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Why didn't my doctor wrap my head with a bandage and not even ask me to wear headband? (Photo)

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Ear Surgery

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