Uneven Ears After Otoplasty?

Some asymmetry between the two ears is very common, even in patients who have not had surgery on the ears. Some very minor differences in shape or prominence of the ears after otoplasty is to be expected as a possibility. Significant differences can be addressed surgically with a revision and may be relatively straightforward (small suture adjustments, etc). Be sure to discuss these concerns with your surgeon.
Differences in sensation (pain, numbness, etc) should even out over time, and can take many months or even a year or longer to return to normal in some patients. The ears will continue to change in subtle ways for up to a year or so after surgery, with most of the results being evident by around 6 months after surgery.
All the best,

It’s not uncommon to have some
residual asymmetry following otoplasty surgery.  Symmetry is an aesthetic goal of every bilateral cosmetic
surgical procedure, but may not be attainable for a variety of reasons.  It’s important to understand that some
asymmetry is a normal phenomena. 
In many cases this is related to swelling and may take 3 to 6 months to
resolve.

The moment surgical dressings are
removed following otoplasty, patients will notice dramatic changes in the
appearance of their ears.  They
will immediately notice differences in contour and shape of the ears.

Initially the ears will be swollen,
numb, red and bruised.  This will
improve significantly in the first 6-8 weeks following surgery.  Small amounts of residual swelling may
persist for 3 to 6 months following surgery.

Six months following surgery, you
should be able to see your final result. 
At this point, your ears should no longer be
swollen or tender.

Usually 3 months after an otoplasty, your results will likely be long-lived.  If you have marked asymmetry, then perhaps a revision is in order.  Slight asymmetries meanwhile are not something that most, if not all, people would notice.  The numbness after otoplasty is usually self-limited and gets better with time.  Chronic pain after otoplasty can be a function of the type of otoplasty you had done and the extent of the projection correction (cartilage excision).   Prolonged inflammation or indolent infection are also concerns.  Always talk to your doctor directly about your issues.

At 3 months, you have likely achieved nearly 90% of your final results. Some generalized laxity and scar maturation may produce softening of the scars with less tenderness and may take up to 2 years.

It can take up to one year for the final appearance of the ears to be the same and for all of the swelling and the discomfort to resolve from the surgery. That being said if one is overly pinned than the other, this may have to be corrected if it does not spring out over the next three months or so.

The asymmetric pain and tingling sensations that you note are not that unusual for 3 months out from otoplasty. These symptoms should resolve on their own over the next few months. With regard to asymmetric appearance of the ears at 3 months, it is likely what you see is sort of what you get at this point. It is not uncommon for the ears to look slightly different following otoplasty as long as the difference is not too obvious. If so, sometimes a quick office-based revision will be all that is needed to create sufficient symmetry where you are happy. In other cases, a more involved revisionary procedure is needed. Much of this depends on what your ears looked like originally and what was done to them during the otoplasty.

One of the biggest challenges of otoplasty is creating symmetry post procedure.  Generally speaking, caliper measurements of the superior, middle, and inferior portion of the ear both pre procedure and post procedure allow the surgeon an objective means of adjusting the degree of "pinning" the ears back.  At the end of three months, any asymmetry seen is likely to persist.  Improvement in asymmetry may range from a simple office procedure to a a complete revision of your ear.

The final result of otoplasty is typically seen within 3 months although numbness and discomfort may occasionally take longer. Revision surgery is an option to make ears more symmetric.

Swelling and bruising after otoplasty are common. Meticulous technique and measurements are critical to acheive ear symmetry. Swelling may persist for 6 months, depending on the type of surgery and whether patients selectively sleep on one side.
Discuss the difference in ear position with your surgeon and obtain postoperative photographs to compare the positions objectively.

A small amount of asymmetry is not unusual after otoplasty.  Looking from the front, the ears should look very similar.  If one is a lot more prominent than the other, then revision might be needed.  Usually I advise patients to wait at least 6-12 months after surgery for all the swelling to settle and the ears to relax a bit before considering revision.  By 3-6 months the position is close to where it will be long term.