We are thinking of getting our 5 year old sons ears pinned back. How long is recovery/how long do we keep him out of preschool?

Question

How long is recovery and how long should we keep him out of preschool, nippers, swim classes, wearing helmet for scootering/cycling, running etc? Also do we go for Dec before he starts school. School friends won't notice but could be hot & therefore itchy under dressings or do we do winter next year and take him out of school. (potential for teasing)??

Ozge Ergun, MD · Answer

Thanks for the question. 85% of the ear development is completed at the age of 3 and 93% at the age of 10. Because of that, this process can be carried out in the preschool period without the child having a social trauma. I wish you all the best.

R. Laurence Berkowitz, MD · Answer

You are going to get varying opinions from surgeons regarding otoplasty in this age group. A five year old is not seeking the surgery--the parents are.  You cannot expect the level of cooperation that you will see in an older child who is old enough to participate in the decision making.  I have asked the children in my practice to write me a brief note about why they want this surgery and that hand written note in the child's own words is used as part of the informed consent.  I generally find young ladies 8 to 9 are ready and boys a year or two later. When they are ready, I am ready.  Just an opinion with another perspective.

Shahram Shahidi, BSc, MBBS, FRACS · Answer

Recovery is around 1 week but with kids they need to stay away from sports for a few weeks especially contact sports. Best time to do this operation is when you are ready or when there is a quiet time in sport season.

Naveen Somia, MBBS, PhD, FRACS · Answer

Thanks for your question.Following the operation for Pinning the ears back, your Son will have a head bandage for a week.At the first post op visit the bandage will be removed.At this stage the wound would have healed but not strong yet and the ear would be susceptible to damage that can potentially undo the 'pin back'Showering is allowed, but immersion in water ( swimming, bath etc etc) is not allowed for another 2 weeks.If during activities the ear gets hit then risk of the damage is high.For 6 weeks at night I advise wearing a 'tennis band' over the ears to prevent any accident folding back of the ears at night.If you have a choice between Summer and winter, winter is prefered for the reasons you have mentioned.Hope this helps

Peter Callan, MBBS, FRACS, MBA · Answer

Prominent ears (bat ears) can be done at anytime from about the age of four or five. I'm not so sure it matters when he has it done, from prep to adulthood. There is no real evidence that it makes a difference to social development overall, but it may help in some children. Often this concern can be more from the parents as the child may be unaware until a bit older. But five years old is a good time nevertheless.The December break is very suitable as school starts again a while later. Everybody varies in their postoperative care, but my regime is that they can shower and wash hair the next day, and just wear a headband at night.  Apart from the first night dressings are unnecessary.  The ears may look a bit bruised for a few days. They are a little sore the first night but children your son's age recover quickly. I'd keep him quiet for a few days but swimming could be resumed after a week, although surf swimming may be a bit uncomfortable.  The ears are fairly stable after three weeks so after that all activities could be resumed.I hope this helps in making your decision.

Mark Edinburg, MBBCH, FRACS (retired) · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question.I frequently see children of this age, for all the reasons you mention, both girls and boys. Appropriate time for surgery is when the child is feeling the effects of his sticking-out ears, and wants the surgery. I recently saw a young boy who did not want the surgery, and the parents agreed to wait a couple of years and then revisit, when they thought he would most likely be a willing part of the plan.It's a week with a head bandage, and then some weeks wearing a band at night.A bath or shower is fine after the first week but diving into water and contact sports are actively discouraged for about 6 weeks.In my experience, most kids are compliant with this timeframe, summer or winter, as long as they were OK about having the surgery in the beginning.I hope this is of value for you.

We are thinking of getting our 5 year old sons ears pinned back. How long is recovery/how long do we keep him out of preschool?

Answers (6)

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