If you are self-conscious about the appearance of your ears, then it can have a long-term effect on your self-esteem. Thankfully, there is a treatment called Otoplasty (or ear correction) that can ensure you are proud of, rather than embarrassed by your ears. In this minimally invasive surgery, we can do a host of things including pinning the ears back, so they don’t stick out and/or reshape the ears.

Performed under either general or local anaesthetic, this procedure involves a small incision being made where the ear joins the head, with cartilage and skin being removed or reshaped depending on the desired outcome. Fine stitches will be used to keep the ear in position after the surgery. Recovery time is a few weeks – bandages will need to be worn on the ears for up to two weeks post-surgery, as it helps the ears heal and support them in their new position. Patients tend to return to work once the bandages have been removed, but it is advisable that any activity – sporting, for example – where the ears may be moved about or pushed forward be left for around 6 months.

There will be a scar from the incision, but as it is hidden behind the ear it will not be visible and they will usually fade to be the same colour as the skin naturally over time.