Otoplasty changes young children’s lives. Consider a recent article for the Northwest Herald titled “Harvard boy, 6, undergoes reconstructive surgery on prominent ear.”
Hannah Prokop of the Northwest Herald writes, “As 6-year-old Jasper Damiano pretended to be a magician in his Harvard home, the black hat he was wearing and his glasses sat on his head just right. Before getting reconstructive surgery on his left ear, hats, goggles and glasses often would not stay in place, causing Jasper to become frustrated, said his mother, Crystal Damiano. Jasper was born with his left ear growing out and down, Damiano said, and it was progressively growing down more. ‘We never made him feel like there was something wrong with him,’ Damiano said. ‘… But when it started frustrating him, that’s when we as parents were like, ‘OK, we need to do something.’’ When insurance wouldn’t cover the procedure to pin back the ear, Damiano said, a plastic surgeon wouldn’t even give a price estimate because the surgery would be so expensive. After about a year and a half of looking for other options, Damiano heard from the Fresh Start Surgical Gifts program with which Jasper could get the surgery for free. ‘I know it seems silly to some people, maybe it’s just an ear, but for him, it’s a life-changing thing,’ Damiano said. ‘The rest of his life, he’s going to not have to struggle with those things.’ On Feb. 20, Jasper had surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital. Three times a year, the hospital provides free reconstructive surgeries for children with physical deformities, said Tiffani Washington, senior media relations specialist with the University of Chicago Medicine. The Fresh Start Caring for Kids Foundation, a collaboration of Fresh Start Surgical Gifts and the Plastic Surgery Foundation, works with the hospital to perform the surgeries, Washington said.”
If your child is in need of an otoplasty, you need a surgeon you can trust. Rex E. Moulton-Barrett, M.D. is internationally known and acknowledged. He is board certified with The American Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and The American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Otoplasty is one among many procedures provided by Dr. Moulton-Barrett’s office.
When it comes to otoplasty, Dr. Moulton-Barrett provides procedures for ears that stick out and to correct the oversized conchal bowl.
During recovery, a gentle pressure dressing is placed on the head to provide slight pressure on the ears and maintain their new position as well as to minimize swelling and excessive fluid accumulation beneath the skin. We will remove this dressing in 5-7 days. All of the incisions are closed with stitches that dissolve and don’t have to be removed. As soon as your head dressing is removed, patients can wash their hair. You will need to wear a comfortable cloth band or hat to train the ears to remain close to the side of the head ideally for 6 weeks or a minimum of 10 days.
If you’re considering a an otoplasty, contact us for a consultation.