Ear correction surgery - cosmetic surgery - Indian Medical tourism - Indiatreats

   

Ears are important organs situated on the lateral sides of the face. Hearing the sounds and maintaining the balance of our body are the important functions of ears. Ear consists of three parts. They are outer ear, the visible part of the ear consisting of cartilaginous tissue covered by the skin. Different sound signals produced in this universe reach the outer part of the ear and travels through the auditory canal to reach the ear drum. The middle ear is the middle portion of the ear which starts from the ear drum and extents up to cochlea.
The hollow space in the middle ear known as tympanic cavity contains three small bones known as ossicles. Ossicles vibrate in consonance with the vibrations of the eardrum which are transmitted to the cochlea where the signals are decoded, indentified and the conveyed message is understood by the brain. The inner ear is the inner part of the ear where cochlea the hearing organ and the semicircular canals which control the balance of our system are located.

Otoplasty      

Position shape and size of ear are important factors which have a profound effect on the appearance and personality of a person. Ears which are larger than the average size may have a protruding appearance and such ears are seen as hereditary trait. It has been found that many people with protruding ears feel ashamed in a group and suffer much harassment.  Normal ears are attached to the head at an angle of 35 °.  If this angle increases the ears will appear as sticking out. If the auricle has too much cartilage the ear may look bigger and protruding.  Underdevelopment of the cartilage may lead to the folding of the upper part of the ear may not be in the proper manner which also may lead to an awkward appearance. 20 to 30 percent of the new born babies are estimated to be having external ear deformities.  Different surgical procedures are practiced by surgeons to correct the protruding or deformed external ears. They are explained in detail below.

1)      Ear splinting:  This is a very simple and safe procedure which is carried out on babies below the age of six months.  In this procedure a splint is used to reshape the ear and keep it in its new position. After six months of growth the cartilage in the ear of a baby becomes harder and cannot be remodeled without a surgical procedure.

2)      Otoplasty: Otoplasty is the name of the surgical procedure used for correcting, remodeling or replacing a deformed ear cartilage. This procedure is normally carried out only after the ear has developed to its full size. In the case of children their ears attain full size by the age of five. By this surgery the missing folders can be re created and the ear can be brought closer to the head. There are three types of otoplasties in practice. They are ear augmentation, ear otopexy and ear reduction. Each one of them care explained below.

a)      Ear augmentation: For some people their earlobes may be too small or underdeveloped and such people may feel very much humiliated or depressed with the appearance of the ears. Earlobe augmentation procedure can be done under local anesthesia. It will cause only minimal inconvenience and the sutures can be removed on the sixth day. After ear augmentation surgery, careful post operative care is very important and use of a headband for several weeks will be necessary for ensuring proper healing of the wound. For people who have ears that stick off too far or people with ears of undesirable shape can be benefitted by ear augmentation surgeries.

b)      Ear otoplasty: Ear otoplasty is a surgical procedure followed to improve the appearance of a person’s ears. Otoplasty is commonly carried out in children, but it can be successfully done in adults also. A child’s ear attains its maximum growth by the age of five. So it is better to carry out the surgery for the correction of deformity in shape and appearance of the ear at the earliest so that the harassment and mental tortures faced by the child can be reduced to a considerable extent. This surgical procedure is usually performed as an outpatient activity. General anesthesia will be required if the child is too young and local anesthesia will be sufficient for elder children and grownups. Otoplasty begins with a small incision near the crease of the ear where it meets the head. With meticulous care the cartilage is now reshaped and bent so as to achieve the required shape and appearance. After reshaping the cartilage sutures are used to keep it in its new position. Most patients achieve normalcy within a few hours after the surgery. But pain and discomfort may be felt for a few days which can be controlled with proper medication. No complications usually occur after this surgical procedure.

c)      Ear reduction:

Ear lobe of a person may become torn or stretched consequent to wearing of  ear rings for a long for longer periods. Ear lobes with a hole inside it or which are torn are not a happy thing to look at and many people want to get it removed.

 As a person ages the earlobe may become droopy.  Repairing of earlobes with a hole in it or which are torn can be done by a simple surgical procedure which will take only 20 minutes to complete. This procedure can be done for both the ears at the same time or if necessary it can be done for one ear only. If the ear lobe is completely torn the tissues are repaired and the wound is closed with fine sutures. The wound will completely heal within 6 weeks and if necessary the ear can be re pierced for the purpose of ear rings after this period. This is a very successful procedure which has always given excellent results.