Ear Surgery (Pinnaplasty): Symptoms, Classification, Diagnosis & Recovery

• Do not forget to inform your doctor about all the medications that you are taking, including inhalers and supplements. If possible, keep them in their original packaging and bring them all to the hospital with you.
• Your doctor is likely to review your medical history and past illnesses.
• You have to take a few specific tests to make sure you are well prepared and can have pinnaplasty as safely as possible.
• Do not forget to tell your doctor if you have any allergies, especially those related to local anaesthetic medications and general anaesthesia or any specific allergies to tablets, medicines, and dressings.
• Ear pinning surgery starts with pre-surgery measurements. These measures aim to provide a quantitative assessment of projection of the ear.
• Facial photographs can also be used to assess the changes in measurements made from the surgery.
• Pinnaplasty is a cosmetic surgery performed in one of the operating theatres in minimally invasive treatment unit (MITU). You will need an expert consultation before the procedure.
• Make sure that you fully understand all the information that was given to you about the possible and proposed treatments and any potential risks.
• Feel free to ask every possible query if things are not entirely clear.

Pinnaplasty surgery takes about one to one and a half hours. It can be carried out under general anaesthesia. But in some cases, local anaesthesia is also given so that the patient remains pain-free even when he or she wakes up. The doctor will advise which anaesthetic is the most appropriate in your case.

It is must to get rid of any form of hair interference during pinnaplasty, so elastic bands or latex bands can be used to manage hair. This allows the surgical field to remain free from hair.

During pinnaplasty procedure, the surgeon makes incisions behind the ear and the cartilage may be re-shaped, folded or some part of it may be removed. After that, cartilage is pinned down with stitches to hold the ear in its new position. Finally, a dressing is placed to keep the ear comfortable.

After the ear plastic surgery, the patient is taken to the recovery site where he or she is looked after until the effect of anaesthesia gets over. Once the patient is awake again, nursing staff checks the dressing and monitors the pulse and blood pressure at regular intervals.

Usually, it takes only a month for full recovery, but it is recommended that patients who have had an ear pinning surgery should avoid playing sports for another month after that. The surgeon typically removes the stitches within 5 to 10 days of the surgery. After a week or two, patients are able to return back to their daily routine.

After pinnaplasty, your ears may feel sore and tender or numb, but it lasts for only a few days. However, you may experience a slight tingling sensation for a few weeks. It is common to have a small scar behind each ear and slight bruising around the ear. Otherwise, ear pinning surgery is a completely safe procedure.

If you have severe pain or if you experience any unexpected symptoms, you should contact the clinic where the pinnaplasty was carried out. The surgeon who treated you is the best person to deal with any complications after pinnaplasty.