Ear Aesthetics in Turkey
Opr. Dr. Hasan Duygulu
Ear Aesthetics is one of the most frequently performed plastic surgeries in Turkey as well as in the world. Ear Aesthetics is a functional operation as it opens the nasal canals and can also provide cosmetic benefits, also called aesthetic surgery. Opr. Dr. Hasan Duygulu aims to provide happiness and satisfaction to his patients with his team that takes care to provide the highest level of service in his private clinic.
Dr. Hasan Duygulu has successfully performed more than 4 thousand Ear Aesthetic Surgeries in the last 12 years.
Prominent Ear Aesthetics
Prominent ear aesthetic surgery is a procedure that involves surgically replacing the lack of certain structures in the anatomy of the auricle, or reducing their excess, or both. Prominent ear deformity is most commonly caused by the complete or partial absence of the antihelix fold in the normal auricle anatomy and the excessive volume of the structure we call the concha. In the procedure, this absent fold is created with suture techniques or some amount is removed from the structure we call the concha, or both procedures are applied. The surgery starts with a skin incision made behind the auricle and removal of some excess skin. The duration of the surgery takes around 2 hours, approximately 45-60 minutes for each ear. In my clinic, I perform this surgery under local or general anesthesia in adults and under general anesthesia in children.
Prominent Ear Aesthetic Surgery When is the earliest?
A question I often encounter. In children, the auricle completes its development at the age of 5-6. Therefore, it can be performed after the age of 6. So why is early surgery preferred at this age? Because the problem that creates this aesthetic disorder also causes psychological disorders in the child, especially at school age. Therefore, if there is such an anatomical disorder in our children, correcting it from an early age will be beneficial in terms of psychological development.
Prominent Ear without Incision Is Surgery Possible?
Yes, this surgery is possible without any surgical incision. Generally, in children and some adults, when the auricle has not yet hardened and the structure we call concha is not abnormally voluminous, sutures can be applied without incision with some techniques and antihelix fold can be created. This procedure, which is performed only by suturing, can be performed in appropriate cases, but the risk of recurrence is slightly higher than the surgical procedure.
What is the Process After Prominent Ear Aesthetic Surgery?
After performing this surgery, I dress and wrap the ear and open and see it myself after 2 days. If I performed the surgery under local anesthesia, I do not put the patient to bed, but if I performed it under general anesthesia, I can put the patient to bed for 1 day. After 2 days, depending on the situation, I can wrap it for 1 more day or switch to ear bandages. I make my patients use the ear bandages every hour of the day for 3 weeks and only at night for the next 3 weeks. 5.-6. Since I use dissolvable material in ear stitches, I do not need to take stitches. I tell my patients that there may be color change, redness, bruising in the auricle for the first 2-3 days and that this is normal in this process. I discharge them with a painkiller and an antibiotic against the pain that may occur in the first 3-4 days. I do not make any restrictions in eating or drinking.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Any Scars After Prominent Ear Surgery?
Prominent ear surgery with thread is usually performed on a group of patients who are children, whose cartilages have not yet hardened, and who do not have very prominent concha hypertrophy. The possibility of recurrence of pathology is higher than normal surgery, but it is a short procedure of 15 minutes. Since there is no incision, there is no scarring.
Is Prominent Ear Genetic?
Prominent ear deformity occurs when the expected ear folds in the auricle do not form during the development of the baby in the womb. The presence of a prominent ear problem in one of the parents increases the likelihood that the child will also have it, so familial factors play a major role in the development of this deformity. Since prominent ear deformity can cause psychological problems in childhood, surgery is usually recommended at the beginning of school age or around 5-6 years of age in the pre-school period. It can be performed under general anesthesia in children and under general anesthesia or local anesthesia in adults. Another importance of having surgery in children is that the cartilages are not yet soft and fully developed, they can be reshaped very easily.
Which Type of Anesthesia is Used in Prominent Ear Surgery?
Local anesthesia is generally preferred for prominent ear surgery in adults. The reason for this is that the procedure can be performed painlessly with local anesthetics, to be able to communicate with the patient during surgery, and to accelerate the return to social life and to reduce the cost of the operation. However, some patients with panic attacks, systemic diseases such as asthma, allergies to local anesthetics, who want to benefit from the comfort of general anesthesia may prefer to have this surgery under general anesthesia. In children, this surgery is performed in the hospital under general anesthesia. The procedure lasts approximately 1 hour 45 minutes – 2 hours. Discharge is possible on the same day. The ear stays dressed for 1 day. Afterwards, the patient starts using a headband.
Are There Problems After Prominent Ear Surgery?
There are two most common complications of prominent ear surgery. Hematoma and infection. A hematoma is an accumulation of blood between the skin and cartilage. When unrecognized or not drained, it leads to destruction of the ear cartilage. It happens when the vessel that was burned during surgery starts bleeding again. The treatment is to drain the hematoma, find the vessel and control the bleeding again. It usually happens on the 1st or 2nd day of surgery, unilateral ear swelling and new onset of pain may suggest hematoma. Another complication is infection. This manifests itself as one-sided ear swelling, redness, pain and fever. As a treatment, the patient’s oral medications are discontinued and the patient is switched to intravenous or intramuscular broad-spectrum antibiotics. Apart from these, problems such as opening of the stitches or the auricle being closer to the skull area than desired may also develop.
What is the Recovery Process After Prominent Ear Surgery?
Protruding ear surgery is performed to treat the ears that appear open to the sides when viewed from the front and back. There are usually two problems that cause the ears to look this way. One of them is that the parts of the ear cavity, which we call concha, are normally large, and the other is that there are no ear folds, which we call antihelix. Patients usually have both of these problems, but sometimes only one of them may be present. These two problems are solved in surgeries; if there is turbinate density, a piece of the turbinate is removed and anthelix layers or antihelix layers are created with stitches. The surgery takes approximately 2 hours, after which edema, swelling and bruising develop in the ear. After the procedure, the ears are wrapped for 1 day to prevent blood loss inside the ear, and the dressing can be removed after 1 day. Blood leakage from the ear is normal on the first day, sometimes even on the 2nd day. The stitches are behind the ears, so they are not visible. Generally, head wrapping is started after 1 day. Patients use ear bands for 2 weeks. 5. Members of baths that can be maintained throughout the day. Water and foam may touch the ear stitches. However, it should be dried after bathing and should not be left wet. During the first 4-5 days, patients’ new ears may be very large, this is completely due to swelling and is normal, they are not told that their ears will shrink, which is not a cause for concern. After the first week, ear bruises disappear, fatness disappears quickly and the ear returns to its normal size. My protection, which does not hinder the operation of the earband, is usually on the 4th-5th day. Days are deleted regularly. If you want to do sports, you can start doing sports in 6-8 weeks.
How Many Hours Does Prominent Ear Surgery Take?
Prominent ear surgery is a procedure that takes approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour on each side. This procedure can be performed under local anesthesia in adults, there is no pain during surgery. An advantage of local anesthesia is that the patient can see the procedure instantly and can not give his/her own opinion. However, there may be adult patients who prefer general anesthesia. The folds that do not form during the procedure are created with stitches. The incision remains behind the ear. If dissolvable stitches are used, the stitches may not be removed, non-resolvable stitches should be removed between 7-10 days. Swelling and bruises in the ear after the surgery are normal, they decrease rapidly and disappear. However, you should consult your doctor in case of unexpected unilateral swelling, pain and redness.
How Long Does Pain Last After Prominent Ear Surgery?
After prominent ear surgery, there is usually pain for 1 day, after which there is not much pain. However, this is not a rule, it may vary from person to person. Sometimes one ear may be normal while the other ear may hurt. However, it may be useful to be alert and consult your doctor if there is more pain than expected and this happens especially in one ear. The ear is an area with high blood supply and small bleeding is abundant during surgery. These bleedings are controlled in the surgery, but sometimes one of the vessels burned or ligated after the surgery can reopen and blood can accumulate in the ear. This causes pain and swelling in the ear. This is called hematoma and is the most common complication after prominent ear surgery, usually unilateral. When such a situation develops, it is necessary to drain the accumulated blood again and control bleeding. After the surgery, antibiotics and painkillers are given to all patients to prevent infection of the auricle. In some cases, infection may rarely develop in the ear after surgery and this may again manifest itself in the patient with swelling, redness, fever and pain, antibiotics should be changed and treated immediately.
When Are Stitches Removed in Prominent Ear Surgery?
In prominent ear surgery, the incision and stitches are behind the ear. These stitches can be non-melting nylon or silk stitches or melting stitches. In my own practice, I do not put melting stitches behind the ear and do not take stitches. The stitches applied to shape the ear are non-melting stitches and are not removed, they are located in the auricle.
If stitches are to be removed, they can be removed between days 7-10.
