Many ear pinning patients wonder what the ears may look like in the early healing process after otoplasty surgery. So I decided to post this blog to give those a visual idea of what to expect in the average case. As I discuss with all my cosmetic ear pinning patients, the ears will appear overcorrected initially. I overcorrect the ear pinning because the ears have a certain amount of cartilage memory – where they want to ‘spring’ back to their original shape after surgery. If a facial plastic surgeon does not overcorrect during the otoplasty surgery, the ears will spring back as the healing process unfolds – leaving the ears more lateral (sticking out) than desired. I normally try to overcorrect by several millimeters to account for this spring. Consequently, your ears should appear almost too close to the head in the early healing period. The photo series below demonstrates this visually. This is one of my actual otoplasty patients. On the left is his preoperative appearance. As you can see, 1 day after otoplasty surgery, the ears are now positioned closer to the surface of the head. In fact, the ears appear too close to the head because of the overcorrection I performed during the actual cosmetic ear pinning surgery. On the right side, you can see his long-term otoplasty results. As you can appreciate, the ears have sprung back compared to the 1 day postoperative position. But, overall, when compared to his preoperative photo, the ears are greatly improved in terms of shape and position. If you are looking to have ear pinning surgery, do not hesitate in contacting my office today to schedule a personalized consultation with me.
