How is the otoplasty surgery performed?
The otoplasty surgery begins by carefully marking the front of the ear to indicate the planned changes. The back of the ear is also marked to indicate exactly how much of the excess skin will be removed. A barbell-shaped incision is then made on the back surface of the ear and the excess skin removed. In cases where the conchal bowl is excessively large, it is reduced in size by first weakening the cartilage then suturing the bowl closer to the head with several permanent stitches. In essence, this pins the ear back to a more normal position. In cases where the antihelix is poorly formed, several Mustarde sutures are placed to create a normal appearing ridge, or fold. These sutures are carefully placed permanent stitches that help to fold the flat cartilage upon itself, thereby forming an antihelix. These combined maneuvers are usually sufficient to bring the helical rim to within 15 mm of the surface of the head with an angle of less than 30 degrees. If the lobule is excessively angle
