3 Common Misconceptions Surrounding Otoplasty For Children

Children with prominent ears tend to struggle with self-esteem issues. Other children can be mean. They call them names, making them feel insecure and ashamed. Because of this, many children and their parents end up looking into plastic surgery as a way to correct their ears and give their confidence a boost. However, many often wonder if this is the best route or not. Doubts stem from the misconceptions surrounding the surgery. Explore more information below to help you learn more about otoplasty surgery.

Otoplasty isn't just for one ear. 

Many assume that if one of the ears is too large, the other one must be as well. However, it is possible that only one of the ears is going to be affected. When that is the case, the surgeon will only need to do the surgery on that ear. Because of symmetry issues, surgeons will often operate on both ears just to make sure they line up properly. It isn't that they have to, but rather that they choose to. The goal is to make sure your child has the best possible outcome from the procedure.

Additional surgeries are needed to correct problems with symmetry.

Regardless of whether you undergo surgery or not, no one is going to have ears that are perfectly symmetrical. Oftentimes, individuals will wait until all of the swelling has gone done from the otoplasty. Then, they will notice that the ears are a little off and need to be corrected. While many think they will have to go through another whole surgery to take care of the problem, that isn't the case. The surgeon will be able to use a local anesthetic on the ear and quickly change the sutures they put in during the other surgery.

Only children can have otoplasty surgery done.

While otoplasty surgery is recommended for younger children, that doesn't mean that teenagers and adults can't go through the surgery as well. This common procedure can be done on people of all ages. However, younger patients tend to fair better because the cartilage in the ear is still softer, but it has finished growing. This is also when children first start being teased, so it is best to get it done and out of the way in the beginning.

By knowing the information above, you can make an informed decision about whether this procedure is going to work for your child or not.

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