One ear is thicker than the other, and the conchal bowl is enlarged. What are my options?

Question

what would be best the antihelical fold procedure or the conchal bowl reduction? Also what can I do about the thickness of the ear?

Inessa Fishman, MD · Answer

While it's difficult to answer your questions without photos or an exam, the treatment for overly prominent ears in an adult is otoplasty, or surgical ear-shaping.  Most common issues leading to excessive ear prominence include conchal bowl hypertrophy (or excessive height of the conchal bowl) and a poorly formed or absent antihelical fold (the Y-shaped fold of ear cartilage in the upper part of the ear).  Different surgeons will have slightly different techniques for managing these issues, but I think you would do best to meet a few plastic surgeons who perform lots of otoplasty.  An in-person consultation, review of before and after photos, and perhaps chatting to a few patients who've had the procedure will likely give you a lot of helpful info.  Such information may help you choose a surgeon.  Best of luck!

Waldemar Merck, MD · Answer

Your question can’t be answered precisely without photos of your ears. Generally speaking, there are protruding ears which only need the antihelical fold procedure carried out on them. Other ears only need surgery for the big conchal bowl. Many ears need a combination of both procedures. The surgery for a conchal bowl that is too big and too deep can either be performed invasively with a traditional method, by which either cartilage is cut out of the concha; or the concha is turned towards the head with sutures which are anchored in the periosteum of the mastoid and in the retroauricular ear cartilage, according to the so-called Furnas method; or a combination of both methods is used. With the minimally invasive stitch method, no cartilage is removed and the concha is made smaller by a so-called medialisation of the antihelix in the direction of the ear canal entrance. The antihelical fold procedure with the stitch method also involves no removal of cartilage.

One ear is thicker than the other, and the conchal bowl is enlarged. What are my options?

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Everything you need to know about Ear Surgery

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One ear is thicker than the other, and the conchal bowl is enlarged. What are my options?

Answers (2)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Ear Surgery

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.