Otoplasty London | Pinnaplasty | Ear Pinning Surgery from botonics

Otoplasty is a minor procedure that alters the shape of the ears and can improve the appearance of protruding or asymmetric ears. Otoplasty procedures are available in the UK from botonics at our prestigious Harley Street clinic, in the heart of London's private medical district. 

Otoplasty is known by various terms. We use the terms interchangeably, and the procedure is also know as

• Pinnaplasty
• Ear pinning
• Ear surgery
• Ear reshaping
• Ear correction
• Ear reduction

In general, ears are not the centre of most people’s attention. How often have you heard someone say: You know, he's got the nicest ears I've ever seen. In fact, ears for the most part, should not be noticed. Most people could not draw an accurate ear from memory if their life depended on it. This is the point regarding ear plastic surgery - ears are meant to be not noticed.

If they are noticed it is usually because there is something different about them; there is something about the ear that is unusual and brings one's attention to it. Commonly, this is because the ear is protruding outwards. Normally, these ears are not bigger than normal. It is just that instead of staying close to the scalp, they bend outward.

This problem is more common in men than women and seems to be associated more with English descent. Many people with this problem do not care too much. Some people think it adds character. This is a healthy way to think about it. If, however, it does bother you, there are plastic surgical options that are very effective at correcting the problem.

The problem starts at birth and is due to a congenital lack of curvature of the cartilage within the ear. Normally, the ear cartilage bends backward toward the scalp, but in people with protruding ears this curvature never occurs and the ear remains protruding outward. If noticed within 6 weeks of birth, it is possible to reshape the cartilage by just molding it into proper position without surgery.

Correction of this failure of cartilage curvature requires a pinnaplasty procedure to surgically removing skin and applying sutures strategically to re-create this bending of the cartilage.

Often, there is too much cartilage and some of it must be removed. In the vast majority of cases, the pinnaplasty incision is located completely behind the ear.

Once it heals, the pinnaplasty procedure is virtually unnoticeable for two reasons. One, this area behind the ear heals exceptionally well with little scar tissue; and, two, the location of the pinnaplasty incision is hidden.

A completely different type of problem is the underdeveloped ear or one that has never developed at all. These two types of problems are called microtia and “anotia” respectively. These are much more difficult problems and may very well be associated with other congenital problems.

The nice thing about correcting protruding ears is that the ear is easy to numb with lidocaine. This allows correction to be done under local anesthesia with minimal discomfort.