+49 0152 51366453The preparation for ear correction surgery
Depending on the age of the child, children can be included in the information discussion before the operation. The explanation of the main steps before, during and after the procedure, the postoperative discomfort and the corresponding behavioral tips will also help children to process the surgery and may increase their willingness to cooperate.
In the days before the operation adults should be in the most optimal health possible and have a rested constitution.
Under no circumstances should you take aspirin or similar medicines fourteen days before the procedure because they inhibit blood clotting. If you regularly take other medications, discuss this with the doctor first.
Restrict the consumption of alcohol and nicotine a few days before the operation to a minimum. It is best to stop smoking altogether.
Allow seven to ten days off after the procedure. In the first few days after aesthetic surgery, you will not be, physically, fully operational.
Before the operation clarify all questions in detail and it is best to make a note of any questions you may have. Before each intervention, the patient must sign a so-called consent form. This form documents the planned procedure and the associated risks.
The ear correction surgery
Depending on how extensive the procedure is, the ear correction/otopexy can be performed on an outpatient or inpatient basis. In any case, Vitalitas offers you the advantage of safe care by trained and professional staff. The duration of the operation depends on the extent of the planned procedure. However, it usually takes one to two hours.
Classically, the surgeon proceeds as follows:
The back of the ear is exposed via a discreet incision. Then the ear cartilage is changed in shape as desired. Durable sutures firmly anchor the ear cartilage in its new position. Sometimes it may be necessary to remove parts of the cartilage in order to obtain the most natural and appropriate result.
A variant of this technique does not require a long skin incision. With only a few skin incisions on the back of the ear, the cartilage tension over the cartilage fold is weakened with a special file, without cutting the ear cartilage. The shaping and fixation of the ear with a new cartilage fold also takes place with absorbable sutures without additional skin incisions.
Other methods are possible as required, such as the formation of lost cartilage tissue by implants and a shift of skin from the area of the ear to replace individual parts of the skin. Most of the time the ear correction leaves behind a small scar behind the ear, which is less and less visible over time.
Often the procedure is also performed to establish symmetry on both ears.
The anesthesia of an ear correction surgery
Often, ear corrections are undertaken with local anesthesia. Prior to this you will be given, if desired, a sedative, either in the form of a tablet or as an intravenous injection into a vein in the arm, which will put you in a kind of twilight sleep. The patient is awake, but relaxed and painfree. You sometimes feel a pull or plucking during the operation. In children, surgery is often performed under general anesthesia. In any case, you will be examined by an anesthesiologist before the operation to clarify your anesthetic ability. Of course, the anaesthetist is present during the entire operation and controls and monitors the anesthesia.