Otoplasty and Ear Reshaping

Reshaping the ears

Otoplasty is the surgical term for reshaping the ears. Your question most likely fits one of three topics: setting back ears that stand out, doing the same for a child, or repairing a damaged earlobe.

How to read a risk figure

A usable risk figure has three parts: the rate, the group it was measured in, and how long that group was followed. If a surgeon quotes a rate without the other two, ask for them.

Published sources show how this kind of information gets presented. A plastic surgery society has a page on ear surgery. A hospital system covers otoplasty, including the procedure and recovery.

Ears that stand out, a child's ears and torn lobes

• Earlobe Repair Options: how to compare ways of repairing a damaged earlobe.
• Ear Pinning for Children: the questions that are specific to a child patient.
• Ear Pinning for Prominent Ears: what the surgery is meant to change and what to ask about risk.

Ear surgery terms

• Otoplasty: surgery that reshapes the ear.
• Ear pinning: the common name for otoplasty done to bring ears closer to the head.
• Prominent ears: ears that stand out from the side of the head.
• Earlobe repair: surgery to fix a damaged earlobe.

Which ear page to read first

Pick the ear topic closest to your situation and read it before a consultation. Then ask your surgeon for each of the three parts of a risk figure listed above.

For more reading, a university health system has an ear reshaping page. A facial plastic surgery academy also has a page on otoplasty.

General information about otoplasty and ear reshaping is not medical advice.