POSTED UNDER Ear Surgery REVIEWS
Macrotia (Large Non-protruding Ears) Sufferer Looking to Have a Surgical Reduction
ORIGINAL POST
Hello All, I want to reduce the size of my ears...
TwentysixMay 10, 2018
$6,035
Hello All,
I want to reduce the size of my ears in terms of height and width. They do not protrude significantly.
I have been told that I have enlarged ears due to:
- The scapha portion of the auricle
- Poor development of the superior inner ear fold / loss of some of the contour of the antihelix (inner fold) of the upper part of the ear.
I personally also feel that my conchas are too wide.
I have been doing research on the surgeons who perform Macrotia surgery and unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be many. When I have researched Drs and/or Macrotia, the following names have come up:
- Dr John Hilinski (San Diego, USA)
- Dr David Gault (London, UK)
- Dr Charles Thorne (New York, USA)
- Dr Rene Schumann (Düsseldorf, Germany)
At the moment it seems I am most likely to go with Dr Hilinski, based on his before/after images but also price. I would have considered Dr Thorne further I think, but the cost I have been quoted is more than twice what Dr Hilinski quoted - that's NYC for you I guess...
I am based in Europe but willing to travel ANYWHERE for this surgery, if any of you out there on the RS forum could recommend Drs and ideally provide before/after photos that would be very much appreciated.
Feeling quite lost at the moment as it's appears to be such a niche surgery and there aren't that many skilled surgeons that perform this type of surgery as most seem to specialise in pinning protruding ears closer to the head - pinning my ears closer to my head would not solve my situation.
I want to reduce the size of my ears in terms of height and width. They do not protrude significantly.
I have been told that I have enlarged ears due to:
- The scapha portion of the auricle
- Poor development of the superior inner ear fold / loss of some of the contour of the antihelix (inner fold) of the upper part of the ear.
I personally also feel that my conchas are too wide.
I have been doing research on the surgeons who perform Macrotia surgery and unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be many. When I have researched Drs and/or Macrotia, the following names have come up:
- Dr John Hilinski (San Diego, USA)
- Dr David Gault (London, UK)
- Dr Charles Thorne (New York, USA)
- Dr Rene Schumann (Düsseldorf, Germany)
At the moment it seems I am most likely to go with Dr Hilinski, based on his before/after images but also price. I would have considered Dr Thorne further I think, but the cost I have been quoted is more than twice what Dr Hilinski quoted - that's NYC for you I guess...
I am based in Europe but willing to travel ANYWHERE for this surgery, if any of you out there on the RS forum could recommend Drs and ideally provide before/after photos that would be very much appreciated.
Feeling quite lost at the moment as it's appears to be such a niche surgery and there aren't that many skilled surgeons that perform this type of surgery as most seem to specialise in pinning protruding ears closer to the head - pinning my ears closer to my head would not solve my situation.
Twentysix's provider
UPDATED FROM Twentysix
8 months pre
Profile Photo Comparison
TwentysixMay 16, 2018
To give you (a somewhat crude) indication of what I dislike about my ears, I have added my profile (far left) next to some typical female ears. Here you can see how much larger my ears are in comparison. Ugh!
Replies (5)
September 13, 2018
Hi, I don't know if you have done anything yet but I had a reduction on my scapha portion by David Gault many years ago, he was over conservative and did not reduce it enough to the extent my ears were still large. It cost around £ 3500 at the time and his only solution was to have another operation. I would suggest in London Mr Walid sabbagh or if you do go to the States then Dr Hilsinki has some great evidence that he has done this the most with great results. I would also suggest that you get the surgeon to commit to a reduction in size on paper so that you are paying for what you get so if they fall short in anyway then they have to fix it, I am based in London so happy to talk more if you need to know anything more about the op and such. I am thinking of having a second one now ( years later btw ) with Mr Sabbagh but also trying to find someone in Europe at a third of the cost seems impossible.
October 3, 2018
Hello and thank you for your comment. Do you happen to have pictures of your ears by any chance? Did he disagree with your vision even at your consultation, i.e. was he conservative in his views on reduction or do you think he did not realise the extent you wanted to reduce your ears? Potentially going with Dr Hilinski instead is still playing on my mind. The thing that is holding me back is that Dr Gault is based in the same city as me (which obviously should not be the deciding factor) but also because when I emailed Dr Hilinski with my photos he said that that he would most likely not touch my concha bowls - I very much want them resized. I will definitely check out Dr Sabbagh, do you know someone who has had ear reduction surgery with him? Has he provided you with a cost quote for your potential surgery? I will very much bring photos of what I would like to achieve in terms of a reduction along with clear, written comments. Sigh, just wish it was all over and done with tbh!
October 16, 2018
hello I too suffer from macrotia and I am getting surgery, many surgeons don’t perform macrotia. Dr Hillinski is the only Dr I have seen that’s done great
October 31, 2018
Hi Michelle, yes macrotia is definitely the lesser known condition, with most people seem more aware of protruding ears, microtia etc. Dr Hillinski is definitely someone I am interested in going with.
October 25, 2018
UPDATED FROM Twentysix
2 months pre
Consultation with Dr David Gault
TwentysixNovember 20, 2018
As the title suggests I have been for a consultation with Dr David Gault in London.
He advised that the upper part of my ear could be reduced and pinched my ear (as in the 2nd and 3rd picture) to show me what the outcome could look like. He also suggested that I get my earlobes reduced slightly.
The price difference between getting just the upper part / the upper part and the earlobes reduced was about £1,500.
In the picture you see my current ear (1st), upper ear reduced (2nd) and upper ear and earlobe reduced (3rd).
I am currently trying to decide whether I want to go with option 2 or 3. With option 3 the height of my ears with naturally be overall smaller, however, at the same time I wonder whether option 2 is more likely to give me the desired shape I want, i.e. an oval shape (don't want a round shape).
I did mentioned my desire to have my concha bowls narrowed, however, Dr Gault advised that he thought that with option 3 I would no longer feel the need to have them reduced.
Hmmm...
He advised that the upper part of my ear could be reduced and pinched my ear (as in the 2nd and 3rd picture) to show me what the outcome could look like. He also suggested that I get my earlobes reduced slightly.
The price difference between getting just the upper part / the upper part and the earlobes reduced was about £1,500.
In the picture you see my current ear (1st), upper ear reduced (2nd) and upper ear and earlobe reduced (3rd).
I am currently trying to decide whether I want to go with option 2 or 3. With option 3 the height of my ears with naturally be overall smaller, however, at the same time I wonder whether option 2 is more likely to give me the desired shape I want, i.e. an oval shape (don't want a round shape).
I did mentioned my desire to have my concha bowls narrowed, however, Dr Gault advised that he thought that with option 3 I would no longer feel the need to have them reduced.
Hmmm...
Replies (9)
November 21, 2018
My opinion is that the second photo looks best. I wonder if anyone has warned you how painful this will be? Not that this should stop you, just that you should be aware and prepared. I’m 52 and have wanted my ears done since I was 12. I just had a lower facelift with very painful platysmalplasty, upper and lower bleoharaplasty, and otoplasty with earlobe reduction, in one surgery. The first thing I said in recovery was that my ears hurt. And they replied that everyone says the ears hurt the worst. No one prepared me for that. Seven days out and still painful. Evidently they take a long time to heal and for the swelling to go down. If you ice, do so very carefully and keep moving the ice so as not to “burn” your ears. Having said this, the pain is bearable, but not fun. Good luck. I wish I had known that actually reducing the size of my ears was an option also.
November 22, 2018
Hi and thanks for commenting!
I not that you think the 2nd pic, the one where my earlobes have NOT been reduced, the best. Im really torn at the moment as to whether I should do the earlobes as well so its great to have your input!
My sister had her ears pinned back as a child and even now as an adult she says that her ears hurt sometimes, usually when its cold.
I had a rhinoplasty last year and I wasnt in too much pain, I imagine this will be worse - maybe its a bone vs cartilage thing?
How long did the Dr say you would be in pain for?
Im glad I discovered this type of surgery, many Drs just offer ear-pinning / earlobe reduction...
November 22, 2018
Yes, I wish I had know about this surgery, although I did have protrusion of one ear I wanted fixed. I didn’t ask how long the pain could be expected, but I find it easing as the swelling reduces. As to be expected. Evidently they tend to swell more and for longer than other surgical sites. After a couple of days I was allowed to use anti inflammatories again and found them (Aleve especially) to be most helpful for the pain. The earlobe reduction is more painful to me than the pinned part. I have no idea how restructuring the architecture of the ear would feel, but your surgeon should be frank about that. As I said, my pain was certainly bearable, I was just unprepared for it. My personal opinion is that you don’t need you lobes done, but I understand you’re being torn about that decision. FYI, I believe the earlobe reduction can always be done at a later time as an in-office procedure. You should be able to find a local surgeon who specializes to do this at a later date if you wanted and save your specialty surgeon for the more extensive macrotia surgery, which is more critical. This way you can wait and see whether you feel the earlobes are even necessary after the macrotia is done and healed.
December 2, 2018
That's a really good point re changing the earlobes at a later stage, thank you for that, it has helped the decision making!
December 12, 2018
Hi!
Did you have the chance to take front pictures while he was pinching your ear to see how the reduction would be reflected in your front profile.
Laterally i like what I see. Also, I don't see the need to do anything to your earlobes. In fact I feel the ear would be more balanced without touching them, but just my opinion!
December 12, 2018
Thank you for your input re my earlobes, its really helpful and I think I have decided not to touch them. The ears didnt look massively different from the front when he pinched my ears and I didnt remember to take pics from the front. He said that this type of surgery usually reduces the ears by 0.5 to 1 cm, maybe a little bit more in some cases. I will keep you posted!
December 23, 2018
I have just posted a review of ear reduction by David Gault - it should be online within a day - please feel free to take a look if you wish
Replies (25)
I'm so pleased that you're happy with your surgery!! I am hoping to have a consultation in the near future with David Gault -
Just need to save some money first as I don't want to be disappointed at not having enough money when we get told the cost of surgery!! My ears have been an issue for me for so so many years so I dream of the day that I actually get them made smaller!!!
Can I ask how much smaller are your ears now??
I'm pleased that you were pleased with your macrotia surgery.
Do you have before and after pics that you'd be happy to share??