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Ear Pinning Information

Ears can be a prominent feature. Although ears that stick out will not cause any underlying medical conditions, they can make those with the prominent ears feel self-conscious. As a result, they might elect to have ear-pinning surgery, which is also known as an otoplasty or a pinnaplasty procedure.

  1. What is Ear Pinning?

    • Ears are made up of cartilage, which is a form of tissue. Ear pinning takes the cartilage in the ears and reshapes them. The ears are then pinned back using plastic stitches.

    The Alternatives

    • Children and adults have no other options when it comes to having flatter ears, because by then their ears are done developing. However, babies who are six months old and younger can have their ears flattened via special splints. These splints are fitted to the ears of the baby and left on for a couple of weeks to as much as a couple of months, depending on how old the baby is.

    Complications

    • Before choosing to have ear pinning done, the prospective patient should be aware of any potential complications. Although complications are generally thought to be rare, they can include such things as infections occurring in the incisions, a blood clot forming within the ear skin, or raised, red scars that are known as keloid scars. Such complications might require additional surgery or treatment with medications.

    The Procedure

    • Ear pinning can be done either under a local anesthetic, in which the patient is fully awake and only the ears are numbed, or a general anesthetic, which means the patient is asleep. Adults usually have a local anesthetic, while children are usually given a general anesthetic.

      The surgeon makes a few incisions behind the ears, exposing the cartilage, which then is altered. Once this is done, the plastic stitches close up the incisions. Bandages are applied to both of the ears. These bandages need to be kept clean while the ears heal and the stitches gradually dissolve.

    Recovery

    • When the ear pinning has been completed and the bandages have been applied, the patient will be taken to a recovery room. This way, the anesthetic can be given a chance to wear off, and the patient can be given the necessary pain medications.

      Patients are usually able to go home a couple of hours after the ear pinning is completed. The ears will remain sore for a few weeks following the procedure, and a small scar will be left on each ear. However, these scars should slowly fade.

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