Who Is a Good Candidate for Ear Surgery?

Ear surgery, sometimes referred to as otoplasty or ear pinning, is a safe, effective procedure that can seriously boost your self-confidence. It can address a number of concerns, including the size, shape, and position of the ears. However, it is not right for everyone. To help you determine if this procedure is right for you, today, our aesthetic experts at Northstate Plastic Surgery Associates in Chico, CA are taking a closer look at it. Here’s what you need to know. 

Who Is a Good Candidate for Ear Surgery? 

There are many things we look for when determining who is an ideal candidate for ear surgery. Among these is an individual who wishes to enhance their aesthetic by improving the size, shape, or position of their ears.

For example, this procedure may be right for you if you feel like your ears are disproportionately large relative to the rest of your head. You also may be a good candidate if your ears stick out too much or you need to correct a previous otoplasty. Moreover, you will probably qualify if your ears are asymmetrical.

How We Identify a Poor Candidate

To identify a poor otoplasty candidate, we look carefully at one’s health. For example, we may consider you a poor candidate for this procedure if you have diseases or other disorders of the heart or lungs. You may also be considered a poor candidate for this procedure if you suffer from untreated diabetes or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Am I Too Young To Undergo This Procedure? 

No, you are not too young to undergo otoplasty. While it varies by sex, nutrition, and other factors, generally, the ears are generally fully developed by the age of five. To qualify for this procedure, one’s ears must be at least 90% fully developed.

Am I Too Old To Undergo This Procedure? 

Typically, ear surgery is performed on children between the ages of five and seven. This is because children tend to heal faster from surgery than adults. However, if you’re in fairly good general health, you probably aren’t too old to undergo this procedure.

How Long Will It Take Me to Recover From This Procedure? 

Although individual experiences vary, you can generally expect your ear pinning recovery to take around six weeks to complete. The length of your recovery period depends on numerous factors, including the scope of your procedure and how well you care for yourself afterward.

How Long Will I Need to Take Off From Work? 

As a general rule of thumb, you can expect to return to work 10 days after your procedure. Therefore, if you schedule your procedure on a Monday, you should only need to take roughly eight days off from work. However, several factors affect how long you will need to take off from work. For example, the scope of your procedure will affect how quickly you can return to work. As another example, you may need to take more time off if you have a strenuous job.

How Can I Shorten My Recovery Period?  

To recover from ear surgery as quickly as possible, you need to follow all post-operative care guidelines. For example, you will need to wear a compression headband to improve circulation in the ear area and facilitate rapid healing. This will also keep your ears protected while your skin heals from the incisions. For the fastest possible recovery, you will need to wear this headband for a few days. All told, you will need to wear your headband nightly for six weeks.

How long you will need to wear your headband during the day will depend on how quickly your skin heals itself. Another step you can take to ensure your skin heals as quickly as possible is to eat nutritiously and stay hydrated. Your skin needs a number of ingredients, like water, amino acids, and vitamin C to produce a special protein called collagen that is necessary for your skin to heal itself.

What Else Can I Do To Shorten My Recovery Period? 

Another important step you can take to shorten your recovery period is to get plenty of sleep. You should do your best to get nine hours of sleep in a row per night; this almost guarantees that you will complete six full sleep cycles.

If you feel like you don’t have time to sleep for nine hours in a row, keep in mind that the more sleep cycles you get through, the longer the REM stage of the sleep cycle lasts. Furthermore, you should go on regular walks to recover from your ear pinning as quickly as possible.

Schedule Your Initial Consultation Today

If your ears are fully grown and you are worried about their size, shape, or position, you may be a good ear surgery candidate. However, this procedure is not right for everyone with fully grown ears. To find out for sure whether otoplasty is right for you, contact us today at Northstate Plastic Surgery Associates in Chico, CA to schedule your initial consultation. We can’t wait to develop a treatment plan that will safely and effectively help you boost your self-confidence.