Can I Reduce the Size of My Ears?
Many patients who undergo surgery for their ears are concerned with how much the ear protrudes from the side of the head. Otoplasty surgery is commonly used to “pin” the ears back to cosmetically improve their natural position. However, some patients have ears that are disproportionately large compared to the size of their head, even when the ears are otherwise positioned close to the scalp. Macrotia ear surgery is designed to reduce the height and... Continue Reading
Ear Reduction Healing
See what early healing looks like following macrotia ear reduction surgery performed by Dr. John Hilinski. Macrotia ear reduction surgery, or scapha reduction surgery, is an unusual type of cosmetic ear surgery that is intended to actually make an ear smaller in size - not just pinning the ear back closer to the head. Dr. Hilinski is one of the nation's few experts in macrotia ear reduction. Learn more about this by using this link... Continue Reading
How Old Do You Have to Be for Otoplasty?
Otoplasty is one of the few cosmetic surgeries performed on children. The procedure is often considered when parents recognize that their child is embarrassed of having prominent ears as they try to hide them. For example, girls may not want to wear their hair up, and boys may want to keep their hair long. Ear pinning is most commonly performed on children who are between the ages of five and ten, since their ears will... Continue Reading
What Are the Benefits of Otoplasty Surgery?
Otoplasty, also known as ear pinning or ear shaping, can improve the position and/or shape of the ears. The procedure is most common in children between the ages of five and ten, as it helps prevent them from being teased and embarrassed at school. Otoplasty is also a viable option for adults who are self-conscious about their ears. Ear surgery can improve a variety of cosmetic concerns, including: The balance from one ear to the... Continue Reading
Earlobe Reduction Surgery
Take a look at this patient's earlobes that were reduced in size. This patient came to me desiring to have a more normal sized earlobe. Ultimately, I performed a cosmetic reduction procedure to remove the excess earlobe tissue. In the end, he was given a much more natural looking earlobe that was considerably smaller than the original size. And if you look real closely, you might be able to see where I made the cuts.... Continue Reading
The Hilinski Foundation for Surgery
Stay tuned tomorrow night (Friday, Nov. 21st) to Channel 10 News at 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm when this little guy, Brian, from San Diego will be featured following recent facial plastic surgery to reshape his ears. I am very proud to say that our own Hilinski Foundation for Surgery was able to offer the services to him free of charge as part of our mission to provide charitable facial plastic surgery to deserving youth in... Continue Reading
Large Gauge Earlobe Defect
Over the past several years, my practice has seen a huge increase in the number of patients seeking corrective plastic surgery for gauge earring defects. These patients have all had prior piercings with use of gauges that have stretched the earlobes to a variable degree. Once they stop using the gauges, the earlobes are left with a rather sizable defect. Correction of this type of earlobe abnormality requires very delicate plastic surgery performed by someone... Continue Reading
Appearance 1 Day After Otoplasty
Many ear pinning patients wonder what the ears may look like in the early healing process after otoplasty surgery. So I decided to post this blog to give those a visual idea of what to expect in the average case. As I discuss with all my cosmetic ear pinning patients, the ears will appear overcorrected initially. I overcorrect the ear pinning because the ears have a certain amount of cartilage memory - where they want... Continue Reading
Macrotia Ear Plastic Surgery to Actually Make an Ear Smaller
Learn how I can actually make your ear smaller using scapha reduction technique for macrotia - also known as excessively large ears. This type of ear plastic surgery is much different from ear pinning surgery, which is intended to simply pull the ears back closer to the surface of the head. Macrotia ear plastic surgery is aspecialized type of otoplasty surgery with the goal of cutting out part of the ear to make it smaller.... Continue Reading
Suture Reshaping of the Ear
Learn more about suture reshaping of the ear in this latest addition to our otoplasty discussion page. This case example focuses on use of Mustarde suture technique - a specific method that can be used to cosmetically reshape the overly prominent ear in otoplasty patients. See for yourself why our office has become a regional referral center for plastic surgery of the ear.
Cosmetic Ear Reshaping Otoplasty Incision Placement
During many of my otoplasty (cosmetic ear reshaping) consultations in my San Diego, CA office, patients commonly ask about the incision placement. Obviously, one of the concerns when undergoing cosmetic ear surgery is the visibility of scarring. Fortunately, I happen to use an otoplasty technique where my incisions are kept essentially entirely behind the ear. I do this specifically so that I can hide the ear incisions and scars from being visible. The photos here... Continue Reading
