A lop ear has an upper rim that folds down over itself. A bifid or split lobe is divided where it should be whole. Both are corrected, but the method depends almost entirely on age: in the first weeks of life cartilage can be reshaped without surgery.
Lop ear correction reshapes an upper ear that is folded forward and downward. In the first few weeks of life the cartilage is soft enough to be moulded with a splint and often needs no surgery at all. After about three months the cartilage has stiffened and correction requires an operation. A bifid or split ear lobe is repaired surgically at any age.
Newborn ear cartilage is soft, partly because of circulating maternal hormones. In those first weeks it can be reshaped: a splint holds the rim in the corrected position, and the cartilage grows into that shape and stays there. Moulding started within the first two to three weeks has a high success rate and avoids an operation entirely.
That window closes. By around three months the cartilage has stiffened, splinting no longer reshapes it, and correction means surgery to score, reshape or reposition the cartilage and hold it with sutures. The operation works well, but it is an operation, with an anaesthetic and a scar, where a splint would have done.
This is worth knowing because lop ears are frequently dismissed in the newborn period as something to deal with later, and later is genuinely harder. If an ear looks folded in the first weeks, it is worth being seen quickly rather than waiting.
The ear lobe is different. A bifid lobe, a lobe split by an earring, or one distorted by a keloid does not respond to moulding at any age and is repaired surgically. That is usually a short procedure under local anaesthetic with a good result, though the scar crosses the lobe edge and needs careful planning to avoid a notch.
Age is the deciding factor for the upper ear. For the lobe it makes little difference.
The ear is examined and the cartilage tested for softness. If it is still mouldable, splinting starts the same day.
A soft splint holds the rim in the corrected position. It is worn continuously and adjusted at reviews, usually over four to six weeks.
Through an incision behind the ear, the folded cartilage is scored, reshaped and held with permanent sutures to recreate the rim.
The edges of the split are freshened and closed in layers, with the rim repaired using a small step or Z shaped design so it does not notch.
A head bandage protects the reshaped cartilage for the first week after ear surgery.
Splint worn continuously for four to six weeks with regular reviews and skin checks. No pain and no downtime.
Head bandage for the first few days, then a soft headband at night. Mild discomfort managed with simple painkillers.
Back to school. Headband at night for several weeks. Avoid contact sports and anything that could catch the ear.
Scars fade. Final shape settles. Re-piercing of a repaired lobe is considered from around three to six months.
Moulding in the newborn period, started early enough and worn consistently, usually produces an ear that looks normal without any operation. Surgical correction gives a good and durable improvement but leaves a scar behind the ear and the result is an improved ear rather than an identical match to the other side. Lobe repair is generally very satisfactory, though a small notch at the rim can occur and re-piercing must wait several months and be placed away from the scar.
Splinting has few risks; surgery has the usual ones for cartilage work.
For moulding, consistency is everything. For surgery, protecting the cartilage while it settles.
Some very mild folds do settle in the first days. A clear lop deformity generally does not, and by the time it is obvious that it has not, the moulding window has closed.
That is true for surgery. It is not true for moulding, which works best in the first two to three weeks of life and avoids surgery altogether in many babies.
Simply closing the edges tends to leave a notch at the rim, because scars contract. A small step or Z shaped repair at the edge is what prevents that.
The single most useful thing in ear deformity is being seen early. A splint in the first fortnight often replaces an operation at five years, and that opportunity is missed far more often than it is taken.
Moulding is inexpensive compared with surgery and is the main reason to come early. Repair of a split ear lobe and correction of a significant ear deformity are commonly covered by health insurance where there is a functional or congenital basis; purely cosmetic reshaping in an adult may not be. A written estimate follows assessment.
Mostly about timing, and about whether to wait.
Ask your question →Probably not, and it is worth being seen quickly. Moulding works best started in the first two to three weeks and becomes progressively less effective after that, with the window largely closing by around three months.
Usually from about five to six years, when the ear has reached most of its adult size and the child can cooperate with aftercare. There is no advantage in operating earlier for a purely shape related problem.
They will be much closer, but exact symmetry is not a realistic aim. Ears are rarely identical even naturally, and the goal is an ear that does not draw attention.
Usually after three to six months, once the scar has matured, and the new hole is placed away from the scar line. Piercing through the scar risks splitting again.
Yes, but the plan changes. Keloid prevention is built in from the start, which may include pressure earrings, steroid injection or other measures, and that is discussed before surgery.
Seeing patients from across the city and beyond: read about the practice on the plastic surgeon in Surat page, or check what a written estimate covers on the costs and insurance page.
