In the early days of television, there was a show called “Kids Say the Darnedest Things.” Indeed they do, and often those things aren’t exactly the nicest things. That’s true especially if a kid has ears that protrude, are misshapen, or situated abnormally on the head.

Having these obvious targets opens a child up to endless teasing, and this can really impact his or her developing self-esteem. Otoplasty, commonly known as ear surgery, with Dr. Barrera can fix those ears and stop the teasing, hopefully before it ever gets a chance to begin.

What is otoplasty?

Dr. Barrera most commonly performs ear surgery to correct overly prominent ears. The procedure seeks to “pin” the ears back to a closer position to the head. This procedure is minimally invasive and doesn’t create a difficult recovery.

Other otoplasty procedures, such as reshaping ears or downsizing ears, are more involved.

When to have the surgery

The last thing a child wants to hear is a “Dumbo” reference (especially since Disney is releasing a remake of the film this summer) or a satellite dish joke. To avoid these cruel taunts, it’s best if you can have this surgery performed on your child as early as possible.

There are a variety of reasons for this. Having the surgery effectively preempts bullying and teasing. Second, it’s much easier for younger children to go through otoplasty with less stress and fear than is the case with older children. And, finally, the ears of children are much easier to work with during their earlier years than later on due to the higher flexibility of the ear cartilage, coupled with faster recovery times.

What is the right age? A great time to do it is before the child enters at least elementary school. Believe it or not, human ears are basically fully developed by the age of five or six.

How does Dr. Barrera perform otoplasty?

Dr. Barrera creates an incision behind the ear to gain access to the cartilage. Once the cut is made, the ear cartilage is then recontoured while excess skin in the area is removed. After the ear has been repositioned much closer to the head, the incision is closed with dissolvable stitches.

Does your child have protruding ears? Bringing them closer to the head is not a difficult surgery for a child. Call Dr. Barrera at (713) 468-5200 and schedule a consultation for ear surgery.