Prominent ear correction is a common procedure. This is performed on both young children and adults and can either be performed under a local or general anaesthetic.

Patients may complain of prominence in either both ears or just one ear and the procedure can be performed on either one or both ears.

The rim of the ear usually protrudes between 17-22mm from the skin behind the ear.

In someone with severely prominent ears, this distance may increase to over 30mm and in someone with mildly prominent ears, the distance may be only 2-3mm above normal.

There are a variety of procedures that can be performed to correct prominent ears. In some cases, the cartilage stiffener in the ear needs to be bent and adjusted to correct the shape of the ear.

In other cases, stitching the ear into shape may suffice. In both cases, an incision will need to be made behind the ear, the adjustments performed to the ear and the incision stitched closed.

It is common for patients to wear a head bandage for one week post-operatively. The procedure can sometimes be performed on a day case basis, although some surgeons would prefer patients to stay in overnight after surgery to ensure that they are well enough to go home and no problems have arisen.

Prominent ear correction surgery takes approximately 40 minutes per ear.

When you wake up after surgery, you will be wearing a padded head bandage and this usually stays in place for one week. It is not uncommon for the ears to be a little uncomfortable following surgery but this should settle with simple analgesics (painkillers). Occasionally, patients can bleed in the ear, requiring a further visit to the operating theatre to have the blood drained off. In a small proportion of cases, there can be slight rubbing of the skin of the ears under the bandage, causing a small ulcer on the front of the ear that usually heals well within 1-2 weeks. Infection is a rare occurrence and usually settles with antibiotics although, if infection occurs within the cartilage, this can be more serious and may require further surgical intervention. Recurrence of a prominent ear may occur in approximately 5% of cases. Post-operatively, the ears should be a reasonable match but may not be absolutely perfect since quite often ear shape and size may be different before surgery.

Follow-up arrangements will be made during your stay. Most commonly, you will be seen one week after your operation and have the head bandage removed. You will be asked to buy a soft headband to wear all the time for the second week and then at night for 4-6 weeks.