Understanding Ear Plastic Surgery

Understanding Ear Plastic Surgery The ears may not seem like an important part of the body, but for children who are born with deformed ears, they seem to be one of the most important parts of the body. Because they are made of cartilage and have such a distinctive shape, fixing the ears through cosmetic procedures is not always as simple as other areas of the body. Patients who are considering ear plastic surgery should carefully look for a doctor who specializes in this particular treatment. This procedure is most often done for patients with microtia, or underdevelopment of one of the ears, and is most commonly performed on children. Some doctors will try to fix deformed ears by removing any tissue that is there and construction an artificial replacement. While this can look nice, it removes healthy tissue that could otherwise be used to reconstruct the body part. An alternative to removing the tissue entirely is to use part of the underdeveloped body part to reconstruct the new one. This underdeveloped part is called the vestigial remnant. By using the vestigial remnant, the surgeon will not have to customize the other tissue as much, and will also limit the number of complications common with ear plastic surgery. However, leaving the vestigial remnant in place requires the skill of a surgeon who knows how to juxtapose, or place a graft next to existing pieces of tissue and cartilage. The benefit of juxtapose is a more naturally looking result with less visible scarring, as well as removing the need to dispose of healthy tissue. Ear plastic surgery is performed using cartilage harvested from the ribs. Because the procedure uses the patient's own cartilage, it will often continue to grow as healthy ears would. This helps the results to be even more realistic. The best candidate for ear plastic surgery is a child who weighs at least 40 pounds. At this age the patient has enough rib cartilage to use some for the procedure. Also, the children should be at least five years old, as this is the age when the ear is close to its adult size. This will limit the need to perform the procedure multiple times, which leads to further scarring. Parents who are considering ear plastic surgery for their children should think about the emotional consequences of having or not having the procedure. They need to ensure that they are teaching their children that they are beautiful regardless of what their ear looks like, yet they need to consider the teasing the children may endure in the future if they do not opt for the procedure. Often, children with microtia benefit greatly from having a procedure to fix the birth defect. If you have decided that ear plastic surgery is beneficial for your child, take the time to find a highly skilled doctor. These doctors are few and far between, but well worth the effort and time spent searching. The result will be a cosmetically beautiful facial appearance that lasts a lifetime.

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