Ear Surgery for Children

There are many different situations in which it may be a good idea for a child to receive ear surgery. Though some parents opt to wait and see if an ear infection and other concerns go away on their own (which they often do,) as the child grows and the body develops, there are some circumstances in which it makes sense to have a skilled surgeon correct the problem before it becomes worse.

Reasons for Cosmetic Ear Surgery

Cosmetic ear surgery can be performed on patients whose ears have finished growing; typically patients over the age of four. While it is uncommon for plastic surgery to be performed on children, ear surgery is the exception. In fact, it is easier to perform ear surgery on children rather than adults, as the ear cartilage is more malleable in children.

Large Ears

Many children have prominent ears that distract from their overall appearance. This can result in taunting and bullying from other children, a problem that can make children avoid going to school and social activities. Worse, this bullying can affect the child’s self esteem for years to come. Some children will eventually grow into their ears, but this will take years; in the interim, they have to deal with daily taunts from other children.

Another solution is cosmetic ear surgery. Plastic surgeons can reduce the size of the lobes and reshape cartilage to bring the ears into proportion with the rest of the face. This surgery is ideally performed in childhood, when the ears can be more easily reshaped.

Ears that Stick Out

While some children have large ears, others have ears that stick out too far vertically from the face. This can also incite taunting and bullying from other children. Fortunately, these children can undergo ear pinning surgery, a technique designed to position the backs of the ears closer to the face. In this technique, the ear cartilage may be reshaped or cartilage may be removed to make the ears lie flat against the head.

Another Reason for Ear Surgery: Chronic Ear Infections

Most children begin getting ear infections from the day of birth to age two. There are some circumstances that make it more likely for a child to develop an ear infection, and it is not well known why some children do not get ear infections at all and why some get repeated ear infections that do not heal easily.

The most common kind of ear infection for children occurs in the middle ear, in the Eustachian tube, which is responsible for alleviating pressure in the ear canal and contains many of the structures that allow a person to hear. The dangers of these kinds of ear infections are that they can result in hearing loss and even make it more difficult for the child to learn to speak. If a parent is noticing that their child seems to have numerous ear infections, and that the infections take a long time to go away, he or she should consult a doctor to discuss possible treatments.

The point of ear surgery for chronic ear infections is to repair the damaged sections of the ear and inset tubes into the eardrum area, which will help to drain built up fluid in the area and keep the ear drum aerated, so that there is less of a chance of an infection. This also helps to equalize pressure between the outside environment and the air inside the ear, so that there is less of a chance of a burst ear drum or a small shift in pressure causing pain.

It is important to discuss these surgeries with a doctor as early in life as possible. If left unchecked, this problem could cause a child to go deaf or could otherwise significantly worsen the child’s ability to hear, and therefore develop at the same rate as his or her peers. Ear surgery can help to prevent this from happening and ensure that the child does not experience learning delays.

An ear doctor can perform ear surgery for chronic ear infections, while a plastic surgeon can perform ear surgery to reduce the size of large ears or pin ears back.

Contact Jefferson Plastic Surgery to schedule a cosmetic ear surgery consultation.