Dr Yaprak Plastic Surgeon – Hamilton, New Zealand
Dr Yaprak Plastic Surgeon – Hamilton, New Zealand
Otoplasty is the surgical correction of the ear. The surgery brings the eternal flap of the ear (the Pinna or Auricle) closer to the side of the head. Often people find that one ear is aysmmetrical in itself or in relation to the opposite ear making the overall headshape look distorted or imbalanced.
This distortion can lead to loss of self-confidence in some people where this is more pronounced. Many of Dr Yaprak’s patients wish to have this corrected at a fairly young age (around 12 years or older usually opt for having this done under local anaesthetic but a younger child usually requires a general anaesthetic procedure). Children aged between around 5 – 7 years are good candidates for the surgery as:
Although the timing of an otoplasty is important, the procedure, is also beneficial for teenagers and adults.
Dr Yaprak has performed many procedures on patients in their late teens and as adults with fantastic outcomes.
Dr Yaprak will create an incision behind the ear and remove an ellipse of shin near the fold where the ear joins the head. The incision exposes the cartilage of the ear and Dr Yaprak has a few different options from here for the ear correction procedure. He will either:
Use an instrument to score the ear cartilage, allowing it to bend into a more natural shape. Stitches then hold the ear cartilage in its new place.
Dr Yaprak may remove a piece of skin and use permanent stitches to told the cartilage back to reshape the ear without removing any of the cartilage.
The third option Dr Yaprak may choose to remove a piece of cartilage and skin to achieve the optimum shape. This is then secured into place with sutures.
Following otoplasty surgery, your ears will be covered in bandages for protection and support. You may feel some discomfort and itching.
Take pain medication as recommended by Dr Yaprak.
A few days after otoplasty, your ears will likely be swollen and red. You may need to wear a loose headband that covers your ears at night for a few weeks. More information can be found for Dr Yarpak’s patients here.
Dr Yaprak will assess your individual anatomy at your consultation and take some photos.
Dr Yaprak will explain the procedure in full outlining the correction method he believes would be best for you and explain the process including pre-operative, post-operative, and follow up procedures in full. He will discuss any medications you are taking and a plan for the discontinuation of any medeicines if he believes it necessary. You will meet our team who will help will all your follow ups and answer any further queries you mayhave.
Dr Yaprak usually sees his patients at least twice before going ahead with the surgery to be sure that you are fully informed of the procedure and have a change to ask any further information you would like answers to.
We encourage all patients to do some research before coming in for your consulation to better inform yourself beforehand about the procedure so you are more able to streamline/pinpoint any questions for Bulent when you meet him.
Please contact us with any queries you might have or if you would like to book a consultation with Dr Yarpak. Ourteam looks forward to meeting you and being part of your otoplasty journey.
For further information, please have a look at the Australiasian society of plastic surgeons website: Otoplasty
