Who Is A Good Candidate for Otoplasty Surgery?
Any child or adult who has protruding ears may be a good candidate for ear correction surgery. It is best if a child has reached five years of age, because by this age the ear has achieved 90% of its adults’ size. An adult of any age, who is in good health, and who wants to correct protruding ears may be a good candidate. Dr. Leong is also skilled in performing other corrective surgeries of the ear, such as those caused by traumatic injuries and congenital deformities.

What is Otoplasty surgery?
Otoplasty , also called ear correction surgery, is a procedure designed to minimize the appearance of protruding ears by repositioning them back closer to the head in a more natural position.

Can a person of any age have Otoplasty surgery?
Yes, if needed. However, it is better for a child to be age five before having ear correction surgery. This allows the ears to reach 90% of their adult growth. Adults of any age can have Otoplasty surgery if they are in good health and have realistic expectations.

Where does Dr. Leong perform Otoplasty surgery?
Dr. Leong will perform your otoplasty surgery in a state-of-the-art, out-patient surgery center, or at one of several outstanding Pittsburgh area hospitals where Dr. Leong has admitting privileges to perform facial plastic surgery.

What type of anesthesia will Dr. Leong use?
For a small child he normally uses general anesthesia. For older children and adults he uses local anesthesia combined with sedation.

How long does the surgery take?
Typically it takes Dr. Leong from two to three hours to perform your ear correction surgery. This varies from patient to patient, depending upon the extent of the surgery and the techniques required to accomplish it.

Where does Dr. Leong make the incision(s)?
He will make these well hidden behind your ears.

Is Otoplasty a painful surgery?
Some discomfort is normal. Aching and throbbing are typically what Dr.Leong’s patients experience for the first few days. This is easily managed with oral pain medication.

Is recovery long and uncomfortable?
There is actually very little downtime and minimal discomfort from Otoplasty surgery. Most of Dr. Leong’s patients are up and about within a few hours after surgery. Your head will be wrapped in a gauze bandage for a few days.

When will the stitches be removed?
Your stitches will be removed or will dissolve in about a week.

How much time is required off work or out of school?
Most children are able to get back to a normal schedule in about a week. Adults are able to drive and return to work within a few days. Everyone is different, but these are typical time frames.

When can I resume my exercise routine?
Dr. Leong restricts his patients from strenuous/rigorous exercise, contact sports and any activity that would risk injuring the ears until healing is well progressed from 1-2 months.

Are there risks or complications involved in Otoplasty surgery?
Yes. As with any surgery complications could occur. These include excessive scarring, infection, mismatched or artificial looking ears and recurrence of the protrusion. Minimizing these risks is the main reason to seek out a fellowship-trained facial plastic surgeon who limits his practice to plastic surgery of the head and neck.

Will my insurance pay for Otoplasty surgery?
Otoplasty surgery is a cosmetic surgery that is usually not covered by insurance. However, if it is performed for medical purposes it may be covered. We will help you check with your insurance company to determine this.

If only one ear is protruding, does Dr. Leong correct both ears?
Often yes in order to achieve the desired balance. However, this decision is made at the time of your consultation.

Remember: If it doesn’t look natural – it doesn’t look good. Dr. Leong is skilled in achieving the most natural looking results possible. He’s a specialist and you can trust your face to him.

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