Surgery to correct protruding ears/ShutterStock
Prominent ears damage the symmetry of the face and are a source of bullying and teasing, and this is also the reason why ear pinning surgery has become very popular for children.
It is usually customary to perform the surgical procedure around the age of 6, upon entering the first grade, by which time the ear has finished growing, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the child begins to be more and more influenced by the social reaction and the bullying of his peers about the appearance of the ears.
In recent years we have witnessed an interesting phenomenon that introduces a new audience of patients to the old surgery - young adults, both women and men aged 20 to 30 who have decided to take action and correct the appearance of the ears and thus of the face through surgery.
As mentioned, in contrast to other surgeries in the world of aesthetics, the ear pinning procedure is mainly common in children, and most of the procedures are completed even before entering the first grade, due to the bullying and teasing experienced by many children about the appearance of their ears, or due to a lack of proportion that requires medical intervention.
Recently, even adults who may have experienced similar bullying in their childhood are turning to this surgery, but at an older age the reasons for the surgery are different.
As mentioned, the operation is considered relatively simple, it takes about two hours and is performed in children under general anesthesia, in adults it can be performed under general anesthesia or sedation.
The final result of the surgery is obtained after several months, therefore the long holiday is a good opportunity to go through the procedure and at the end of it the swelling from the surgery is expected to decrease almost completely, with most of the swelling passing after a week or two.
At the end of the surgery, a recovery process begins that may be a little challenging for the child and the parents - first you have to wear a "sweat band" (like the one that tennis players wear around the forehead) for a week at all hours of the day (24/7), and then for another three weeks at night.
The stitches from the surgery dissolve on their own and after two days you can wash your head, however, until several weeks pass when all the wounds from the surgery have completely healed, you cannot go to the beach or the pool with the child, and you cannot engage in extreme sports.
A pediatrician examines a child/ShutterStock
Increase in demand for surgery for adults
The number of ear pinning surgeries in Israel has almost doubled in recent years: about 700 surgeries were performed in 2020 compared to only 400 just two years earlier.
In the USA, the world's surgery capital, a higher jump was recorded from 23 thousand surgeries in 2018 to 53 thousand within two years.
The reasons for the increase in demand for surgery are varied, but from the referrals of the older patients we can get the impression that there are two main factors:
Networks Social media - A decade ago, Instagram entered our lives and created a change in the world of images and visuals as we perceive it. Today, when Tiktok and other networks have also joined, it is no longer possible to escape mass images and documentation, and even those who are not active on the networks "get" to be tagged by friends, children or relatives. Just like any Located in the center of the face, protruding ears also have a dramatic effect on the appearance of the face, and this is also the motivation of people to find a long-term aesthetic solution.
Zoom meetings - similar to what is done on social networks, Zoom meetings also made us all look at ourselves in a slightly different light, suddenly the face became the ID card the exclusive one that represents us to the outside world. Unlike social networks, in virtual meetings it is difficult to cover the entire face with a filter, and here is another reason to correct protruding ears.
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What is done in ear pinning surgery?
The common procedure is actually the only treatment available for attaching the ears today and its purpose is to attach the auricles to the scalp and, if necessary, to produce a fold that simulates the anatomical and correct shape of the auricle.
The surgery, which takes about two hours, makes it possible to correct various deformities in the ears, to attach the ears to the skull, to correct an asymmetric appearance, and to create a kind of inner fold of the ear for people (mostly children) who were not born with such a fold like others.
In order to reduce the angle between the skull and the ears, as mentioned, the ear can be fixed and attached to the scalp using one of the two existing types of sutures: a Mustarde suture in cases where it is necessary to produce the fold in question artificially or Furnas sutures used to attach the auricle to the scalp .
There are various techniques that will help the surgeon to artfully shape the ears and adapt them to the structure of the face and thus reach the desired and optimal appearance to which the patient aspires.
The surgeon must have a thorough knowledge of the anatomy of the ear and it is desirable that he or she has extensive experience in the field.
Choosing the desired technique in combination with experience and a responsible medical body can lead to the best result, and also provide peace of mind in cases where further treatment is required.
A rule of thumb in plastic surgery is that in surgery as in surgery - do not take unnecessary risks.
Dr. Michael Moshe is a senior specialist in plastic and aesthetic surgery in the general aesthetics clinic network
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