Question:
My daughter has ears that stick out too far. My husband and I have discussed otoplasty but I am afraid that going through the surgery and having pain will traumatize her. In your practice, have you found that young children can get through the surgery unscathed? My daughter is 9 years old.
Answer:
The ideal time to perform otoplasty on a child with prominent ears is between the ages of 4 and 5. At that point a child’s body image is not completely developed and they will not have a great recollection of the surgery many years later. Certainly at 9 years old it is okay to perform this surgery as well and we have many teenagers that present who have finally decided to have this done. Regardless, the earliest that we would perform this on a child is 4 to 5 years of age and they do quite well as children are very resilient.
About the Author: Dr. Edwin Williams
Dr. Edwin Williams is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon who founded The Williams Center in 1993. He has performed over 10,000 facial plastic surgery procedures and has pioneered the deep plane facelift. He served on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery for over a decade, and served as President from 2015-2016. In 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Dr. Williams earned the Castle Connelly Top Doctors award in New York Facial Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Edwin F. Williams III attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1982. He began medical school at the State University of Buffalo School of Medicine and received his Doctor of Medicine in 1986.
Dr. Williams is actively involved in teaching facial plastic and reconstruction surgery to the residents of the Albany Medical Center and is former Chief of the Section of Facial and Plastic Reconstruction Surgery at Albany Medical Center where he received an academic appointment of Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery.