Type of Surgery
Information

Last updated: 11/24/2009
After an otoplasty, the patient's head is wrapped with a turban-type bandage that is worn for four or five days following surgery. The patient is instructed to wear a ski-type headband over the ears continuously for about a month after the turban is...
removed, and then at night for an additional two months. Warm compresses should be applied to the ears two or three times a day for two weeks after the turban is removed.
Patients should follow the surgeon's instructions about washing their hair, and avoid holding hot-air blow dryers too close to the ear.
Patients should also avoid contact sports for at least three months after otoplasty. An anti-inflammatory medication (Kenalog) can be applied to the ear in the event of abnormal scar formation.
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People hear sound waves when the ear and associated structures convert sound energy into nerve impulses. An overview of the way in which the ear "hears" is discussed along with discussion of the two main types of hearing loss: conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss.
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Otoplasty, is a cosmetic surgery to change the appearance of a person's external ears. Otoplasty can take many forms, such as bringing the ears closer to the head (often called ear pinning), reducing the size of very big ears, or reshaping various bends in the cartilage. Other reconstructive procedures deal with the deformed, or abscent-microtic ears. Otoplasty surgery can involve a combination of moving, reshaping, adding, or removing structural ear elements. This procedure is usually performed by either an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, plastic surgeon, or ENT surgeon.
The pinna, or external ear, is made of a thin structural cartilage covered over with thin skin. Each of the various folds and structures of the pinna is named. Ear deformity results from distorted, damaged, or missing ear elements. Many otoplasties are performed not because of actual deformity, but because the individual is displeased with the shape of their ears.
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