Ear Reduction Explained
The first thing to know is that what Kris Jenner had performed live on Keeping Up With The Kardashians was an ear reduction procedure. This is a minimally-invasive, in-office procedure that we do to simply reduce or reshape the soft tissues of the earlobe according to the requests of the patient.
Some people are genetically predisposed to have bulbous lower earlobes which some patients feel distracts from the balance of their face. It is a quick, and almost painless procedure, which done by a qualified surgeon, will result in minimal bruising and scarring.
We do a fair amount of ear reduction procedures each year, but now that this video is out, we expect to start getting more requests from patients who want ‘cute ears’ like Kris Jenner.
Earlobe Repair vs. Ear Reduction
A similar procedure we do, sometimes in conjunction with an ear reduction procedure, is an earlobe repair which is when we fix stretched-out earring holes, ripped or cleft earlobes. Although an earlobe repair requires sutures, it can also be done in-office, under local anesthesia and is also quick and almost painless.
Unfortunately, we see a fair amount of patients in need of earlobe repair because we work with both the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Next Door Solution to Domestic Violence to offer pro-bono services to patients who have had their earrings ripped out during abuse. The repair can be done immediately after trauma or years after the wound has healed.
Otoplasty: What To Expect
An otoplasty is a more complicated procedure to reshape deformed ears or pin-back protruding ears. We start by making a small incision behind the ear and either trim or reshape the cartilage. For protruding ears, we trim the skin and fold the cartilage back so the ear is closer to the head. Sutures behind the ear will close-up the incision and once healed, will be virtually unnoticeable.
As facial plastic surgeons, we see a lot of children, as well as adults, who want pinned-back ears. We do otoplasties as individual surgery and along with other surgeries such as a facelift and neck lift.
Learn more about ear-pinning surgery or otoplasty or if you have specific questions, feel free to call us at (650) 327-3232.
Microtia: Creating An Entire Ear
In such extreme cases, when a person is born without an external ear, we are able to perform a microtia repair. Microtia is congenital deformity resulting in a small, malformed or absent external ear.
Each year, Dr. Lieberman goes to a country where children do not have access to adequate surgical care. In 2017, Dr. Lieberman spent 10 days in Antigua, Guatemala doing pro-bono work with the HUGS Foundation. During this time, he worked on over 14 cases of children with microtia. For each case, he took rib cartilage from the chest and created an entirely new external ear.
In both extreme cases like microtia repair or a relatively minor cases like ear reduction, creating a more balanced and symmetrical ear can have a profound affect on a person’s self-confidnece. For more information on any ear procedure or surgery, feel free to give our Palo Alto or Campbell office a call at (650) 327-3232 or email us.
