Otoplasty & Gauge Repair - So Worth It! - Edison, NJ

Ever since I was younger, I was self conscious about my ears. They stuck out, no matter what I did! Ponytails? Forget it! Even on hot days I would be stuck with my hair down. Some people suggested wearing a headband over my ears... but anyone with ears that stick out knows that it does NOT work! It ends up hurting your ears after a while! I couldn't even wear hats or my hair half up, the ears would stick out every time. I felt like I couldn't even be a normal girl and wear my hair up for gym class. To make it worse, in high school I decided to stretch my ear lobes (aka "gauging") to a ridiculous size! I thought, maybe this would make me like my ears more. That definitely did not work. At all.

So I finally decided enough is enough. I'm an adult now and I want to be confident with myself. I want to feel normal and wear a ponytail! I don't want my ears holding me back.

The consultation:
The consultation was easy and informative. It wasn't rushed and I didn't feel pressured to have the procedure done. Everyone in the office was friendly and I felt secure right away. After making my appointment, the staff kept up with me work phone calls reminding me to stop taking vitamins and to get the required blood taken. They answered all my questions and told me exactly how surgery and healing will go. Again, it was never rushed and they seemed happy to help.

Surgery day:
The day of surgery, everyone was really nice and caring. I was freaking out a bit because I never had anesthesia before, but the anesthesiologist and nurses were very reassuring. Once I laid down on the surgery table, I got really scared. I wanted to just run away and say forget it because I was so scared! I actually started crying. But again, the nurses were nice and told me everything will be okay and my ears will look great. I woke up in the recovery room with my stuffed animal I brought on top of me, lol. I thought that was really sweet of them.
I went home the same day with minimal pain and was even able to walk around the house and do normal tasks.

Recovery:
Dr. Miller called me personally the next day to ask how I was feeling and if I had any questions! I returned to work two days after surgery, I just made sure to take it easy. I was really surprised about how painless the healing process was, especially since I have a low pain tolerance and cry over every sort of medical procedure and injury! I just made sure to keep the headband on and clean the ears daily. They get pretty gross if you forget to clean them for a day or two.

So if I could do it, anyone can. Seriously. I wish I had done it sooner! Now I can wear my hair up and not worry about my ears. I've been wear it my hair in pony tails, buns, braids, and so on. I feel like a whole new woman. Now I know how Caitlyn Jenner must have felt, haha!

Everyone at work has complimented me and said they looked great. The scar on the lobe is noticeable, but the shape is perfect and no one seems to notice the scar until I point it out. My new nickname is "normal ears" lol. I was concerned about the gauge repair because the gauges were rather large, but they turned out great. It seems like I never had them at all!