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About Face

Chapter Nine The Ears Flyaway Ears Surgery

C H A P T E R N I N E

The Ears

IN 1941, WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS released a movie about a baby elephant called Dumbo. Dumbo was dropped off by Ol’Doc Stork at a circus, and the more experienced Big Top elephants didn’t think much of this clumsy little newcomer with the huge ears. Eventually, Dumbo learned that he had a special talent: his ears were so big he could fly! At the end of the movie, Dumbo became a hero and the entire circus celebrated him with a parade. But most of the story was about Dumbo’s misadventures - he was always getting into trouble - and the lasting impression was that the little elephant with the big ears was, well, dumb. Unintelligent. Stupid.

From the moment of Dumbo’s release every kid on the block with big ears, or “flyaway” ears as they are sometimes called, became the target of name-calling by neighborhood bullies. It’s unfortunate characteristic of our society that outstanding physical features can make a kid the brunt of such teasing. Whenever I see a young patient with flyaway ears, I remember the movie and reflect on this rite of passage. I like to think that most of these boys and girls will grow up to do something special, just like Dumbo, but in the meantime, there is something I can do for them.

Otoplasty, plastic surgery of the ear, can be performed on kids as young as four or five, just about the time they are entering kindergarten or grade school. There are many reasons for performing cosmetic ear surgery: some people are born without an ear, or only part of an ear; some lose part of an ear in an accident; others have ears that are too big for their heads; and some babies are born with “lop” ears that fold over on themselves. In this chapter, however, I’d like to concentrate on the procedure that I am most often asked for: otoplasty to correct flyaway ears.

Otoplasty at a young age spares kids the humiliation of being teased throughout the formative years of public and junior high school. There are some who will say that teasing is a part of character-building, but I am of the opinion that there are plenty of other, more constructive things going on during these years that will build a child’s character. In fact, constant teasing about looks sometimes has the opposite effect and destroys a child’s self-confidence, with unpleasant ramifications for adult life. In most parts of Canada, the operation is covered by provincial health insurance up to the age of eighteen.

Unlike the nose, where we have to delay the cosmetic operation until it has stopped growing, usually until about age fifteen or sixteen, the ears have more or less reached maturity by age five. There is research that suggests ears never stop growing, but continue to grow very, very slowly throughout life. If it’s true, then the rate of growth is slowest after age five.

Most of my otoplasty patients are the young set, but every year I get a number of patients with flyaway ears who are older, eighteen years and more. Most say they are tired of wearing their hair in a style that conceals their ears. Or they didn’t realize when they were younger that it was such a relatively simple operation. Otoplasty is, in fact, one of the less complete operations performed by facial cosmetic surgeons. It takes only an hour and a half to do, and adults can usually get by with a local anesthetic and a little sedation. Children require a general anesthetic, but they can be discharged from hospital the same day of surgery.

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