subject: Ear Surgery Improves Hearing And Aesthetics [print this page] Ear surgery is something that is performed for one of two reasons. A person may need ear surgery at any time in their life for hearing purposes. If a person loses this essential function, they can have this done to improve it. The other common reason for this is due to a condition called microtia. This is something that affects babies when they are born. A baby born with this condition has sound organs that are underdeveloped. In some cases, the baby does not even have ears. This can be a problem for two reasons. The first problem is that it makes a person look awkward. Everyone has ears, and if you are born without any, it can be extremely embarrassing. The second problem is that if they are not there, the person will not be able to hear.
These reasons are the common ones for needed some type of ear surgery. There are doctors that are trained for this, and they can offer different options for reconstructing these important body parts. While they are reconstructing them, they will also be able to install implants or devices to help the person hear. When this is done, the doctor must come up with a plan. This plan is an individualized plan for the specific patient the doctor is working with. Since everyone born with this has a different case, working on an individual basis is a necessity.
Some children born with microtia are born with very mild cases. It might just be a case where the ears are protruding or slightly smaller than they should be. Cases like this are much easier to fix, and the results are generally very good. If a child is born without any ears at all or with ones that are barely visible, it is going to take more planning for the surgery. One of the options a person has is to get prosthetics. These are made from various materials, such as silicone. They can look fairly real; however, they will not look as natural as they would with another method. The other primary method is a rib-graft procedure. This procedure uses the person's own tissue from around the rib cage. This tissue is used to create ears, and it offers a more natural look than prosthesis. This is a great method to use if possible, because the body tends to accept its own tissue. If someone else's tissue is used, the body may end up rejecting it.
If you are a parent of a child that is born with some type of ear deformity, you will want to talk to the best plastic surgeon around. You will not want your child growing up like this, and you will want to make sure you choose the best remedy for your child. This type of procedure is not conducted until a child is at least 5 years old. This gives the parents and the doctors plenty of time to plan what they will do.
