6 months on & have ongoing pain after ear correction - does this indicate a problem?

Question

I underwent a traditional otoplasty 17 years ago. One of my ears relaxed over the years so I had it corrected with an incisionless otoplasty 6 months ago. I am thrilled with how it looks, however it is still painful 6 months on. I did not experience any pain after a few weeks with traditional and that was more invasive with the incision. Is this normal as it's a different part of the ear cartilage that's been worked on? Or does this pain indicate a problem? Any advice would be very much appreciated!

Thomas Spalla, MD · Answer

Pain 6 months after an otoplasty is unusual and should be investigated by your surgeon.Given the technique, the nerves disrupted in the process are tiny and not anything that would be "seen" even without the incisionless technique, but there does exist the rare possibility of a neuroma resulting in your discomfort. Additionally, there could be some ongoing inflammation around the suture or of the cartilage itself from an inflammatory response or low-grade infection.
See your surgeon and discuss these possibilities with them.

Leila Kasrai, MD, FRCSC · Answer

You should see your surgeon as soon as you can. Pain at this point in your recovery is unusual and should be assessed.

Waldemar Merck, MD · Answer

Go for an investagion  to your surgeon. Ask him if  a part of the thread came to the surface of the skin. In this case he has to remove the stitch and replace an other stitch,
Dr Merck, 78462 Konstanz Germany

6 months on & have ongoing pain after ear correction - does this indicate a problem?

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