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POSTED UNDER Ear Surgery REVIEWS

Otoplasty - Easy, Effective, and Very Worth It - Tampa, FL

ORIGINAL POST

My ears have stuck out my entire life. I was...

aw4031June 4, 2015
WORTH IT$3,500
My ears have stuck out my entire life. I was teased mercilessly in school, and finally as an adult I was encouraged by friends to do something about my biggest insecurity that was a better solution than constantly brushing my hair over them.

I was so scared to have my survery (I'm a total wuss when it comes to pain too), but it couldn't have been easier and more painless. The doctor was so nice, calm, and knowledgeable. He even gave me his cell number so I could text with questions or concerns after hours.

My procedure was well done and totally worth it. At 28 years old I can finally wear my hair up.

aw4031's provider

Dominic Castellano, MD - Account Suspended

Dominic Castellano, MD - Account Suspended

Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon

aw4031 rating for Dr. Castellano:

Overall rating
Doctor's bedside manner
Answered my questions
After care follow-up
Time spent with me
Phone or email responsiveness
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Replies (13)

alichappis32
June 4, 2015
I'm getting my ears pinned in a few months. I'm using your after pic as a wish pic for my surgeon to use as a guide. I love the result. How long did it take for them to settle? How did you sleep? And were you afraid that the dr woukd over correct your ears? I'm terrified of that. Yours look so natural
aw4031
June 5, 2015
Well I actually asked the doctor to over correct because I would rather have had them too close than still protruding, but he laughed at me and kind of ignored that lol. Probably good that he did. They were super close the first maybe 6 weeks, but now it's been 7 months and they have settled and look very normal. They looked normal and felt normal after maybe 3 months. To sleep I wore a wide headband over my ears for months, even wore it during the day the whole first two weeks. It wasn't so bad. I still wear it when working out to be safe. You will be very protective of them for long after since the soreness lasted for months. Cleaning them carefully was the hardest thing!
alichappis32
June 5, 2015
Oh my how do you clean them? And woukd you sleep on your stomach or back? Which is the most comfortable pissition to sleep in? And is the procedure paingul
alichappis32
June 5, 2015
Painful I meant. To ask if there is a lot of pain after the procedure
aw4031
June 7, 2015
So I ended up using a q-tip to very very carfully clean them for months. I slept on my back (propped up like the doctor says for the first week or so), then after that I was occasionally able to sleep on my side with my hand gently covering my ear. The actual procedure was no big deal. I was awake, but numb, so I literally talked to the doctor and nurses a lot of the time while they were operating. I couldn't believe how nonchalant the Valium made me. Nothing hurt at all until maybe 3 or 4 hours after I got home. The first 2 days were pretty painful after that, but I took the pain killers and rested like I was supposed to. Honestly it wasn't that bad at all. I was very sore, but being relaxed in bed on pain killers and watching all my favorite shows, having food brought to me for the weekend was actually pretty awesome. Surgery was a Thursday and I was back to work Monday. The one thing I should mention is that my ears continued to be sore and numb for maybe 5-6 months. Not painful really, but I was always mindful of them and careful not to hurt them, like when getting my hair done, washing my hair, putting on earrings, etc.
alichappis32
June 7, 2015
Thankyou for the detailed response..
aw4031
June 8, 2015
No problem, good luck!
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Eva G
June 7, 2015

Beautiful results! Thank you for sharing your story here on RealSelf. :)

arciniega
June 15, 2015
I want to have the same thing done I live in Arizona
aw4031
June 15, 2015
If you want to, you should. It's a pretty low risk high benefit procedure!
ashleighadelman1
July 7, 2015
Hi, aw4031!! I am 23 years old now and read your story and I too have been through your same exact experience. My ears have been my biggest insecurity ever since i was a little girl and also now as an adult. I brush my hair over my ears also and especially after getting out of the swimming pool when our hair is completely behind our ears and slicked back is the worst right lol? well anyway i am getting my ears done this year but I'm having some difficulty looking for a doctor. My dad is helping me do the research but the trouble we are having looking for an otoplasty surgeon is that i don't see many reviews on the doctors websites for this specific surgery in my city. So i wanted to ask how YOU picked your doctor. What was very important about your doctor that made you confident in choosing him. Because, for instance these otoplasty doctors do many other plastic surgeries, so i see great reviews on their websites about all the surgeries but not really about otoplasty... hope I'm making sense. hope to hear back thanks love!
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