How to keep ears clean and sutures becoming visible after stitch method otoplasty?

Question

I have just had my second correction done within 1 year post stitch method as the sutures became visible above my skin and became infected. I am curious to know if there is a way I can keep my ears and the site of the stitches clean? Can I buy saline solution and use a cotton pad all over my ears to keep them clean? Also is there a way to prevent the sutures become visible on the surface of my skin? If they keep becoming infected will I be at risk of getting cauliflower ear?

Rajat Gupta, MD, MS, DNB · Answer

Sutures only become visible after Otoplasty if they are not properly buried. If they become visible, there is a chance that they become infected and there is no other way to clear the infection other than taking the sutures out. Problem with Otoplasty is that if you take the sutures out, you might end up undoing the results. You can clean the area with saline water, but if the sutures come out, you will have to visit the doctor. If the cartilage of the ear gets infected, you may have a chance of having a deformed ear.

Robert H. Woods, MD · Answer

The stitches should not be visible through the skin unless they were put in too close. Dissolvable stitches would avoid this as well. Infections are rare due to the great blood flow to the ear, but repeated infections can cause distortion of the underlying ear cartilage and create deformities. However, you are unlikely to develop cauliflower ear. Sterile technique, antibiotics, and keeping the incision clean is the best you can do. For the front of the ear you can clean with a q-tip and hydrogen peroxide. The back of the ear, where the incision lives, can be cleaned with a gauze and hydrogen peroxide then neosporin applied twice each day for three days, then switch to vit E.

Waldemar Merck, MD · Answer

If one is operated on with the Dr. Merck Stitch Method, the ears don’t have to be cleaned in any special way. You can wash the ears just like you did before the operation i.e. with soap and tap water. If a suture is rejected, this is fate and can’t be avoided. However, this only happens in exceptional cases. The rejected suture can be replaced minimally invasively by a new suture.

How to keep ears clean and sutures becoming visible after stitch method otoplasty?

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How to keep ears clean and sutures becoming visible after stitch method otoplasty?

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Everything you need to know about Ear Surgery

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