Head Off the Teasing Before It Ever Begins

Otoplasty | Salt Lake City, UT Teasing is a part of going to school and deciding who are your friends and who are not. Teasing is a part of the give and take with human communication that can give it a little spice.

But, if taken too far, teasing can be soul crushing, and it can affect the development of a kid’s confidence. This is especially true when a kid has an unusual condition. Protruding ears are one of those, and they can make a child a target of rude, unfair comments at school, and that’s not good for anyone. Being subjected to comments such as “satellite ears” or “Dumbo ears” doesn’t make a kid exactly want to be at school.

But if you bring your child to Dr. Saltz, he can easily bring the ears closer to the head, and curtail any teasing before it ever even happens. Otoplasty, commonly known as ear surgery, can easily correct protruding ears and eliminate the source of any future teasing. Dr. Saltz typically performs this surgery on children between the ages of six and 14, although it’s best, if possible, to have the surgery done before the child begins elementary or middle school. The ears need to be finished growing, but this usually occurs by the age of 5.

The surgery

Otoplasty, especially when the goal is to simply “pin” the ears, is a simple procedure. It begins with incisions made behind the ears. From those incisions, a small amount of cartilage is removed or reshaped. Dr. Saltz never uses stitches alone, as he feels that the correction doesn’t look natural. He believes the cartilage always needs to be at least “scored.” This allows the ears to sit down naturally. With that cartilage removed, the remaining cartilage is sutured into place, pulling the ears closer to the head. Because the incisions are made behind the ears, they are virtually invisible. What were protruding ears are no longer.

Who can have otoplasty?

Obviously, children with protruding ears are the usual candidates for otoplasty. But if you’re an adult who still isn’t pleased with the projection of your ears, there’s no age limit on the surgery.

Plus, other people have natural ear defects can opt for reconstructive ear surgery. Some of these congenital ear defects include cat’s ear, cagot ear, scroll ear, cleft earlobe, lop ear, microtia, macrotia, or a constricted ear. Overly large or heavy earrings can also cause torn earlobes, which can be fixed with otoplasty. The same is true with large discs in the earlobes, which stretch the skin to such a degree it cannot tighten back up after the discs are removed.

Don’t subject your child to the teasing he or she will receive if they have protruding ears. Dr. Saltz can easily correct the condition with otoplasty. Call our Salt Lake City office, (801) 274-9500, or our Park City office, (435) 655-6612, to schedule a consultation about ear surgery.

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Park City

Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm
Open 2nd Saturday of every month

Salt Lake City

Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm
Open 2nd Saturday of every month

Contact Us Today

Request a
Consultation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Newsletter

Be the first to know about our latest specials and upcoming events. Subscribe to our newsletter by entering your email below.

Hours
Park City

Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm

Salt Lake City

Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm

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