Ear surgery can change the shape and position of your ears, addressing a variety of concerns. However, unlike many other plastic surgeries, there isn’t a ton of information online about what to expect after otoplasty. To help you make your post-surgery period as easy as possible, here are a few key otoplasty recovery tips.
Don’t Play with Your Ears
It can be tempting to touch your ears, either due to itching while healing or just plain old curiosity. But don’t! Not only can this compromise your results, but it runs the risk of introducing bacteria that can cause a severe infection.
Keep Your Hair Up
It might be tempting to touch your ears, but resist!
If you have long hair, keep it up in a loose ponytail or bun — just nothing too tight! If you have shorter hair that still touches your ears, use a headband to keep it away from the surgical site. This keeps things clean and reduces irritation.
Expect Discharge
This isn’t pleasant but it is normal to see discharge coming out of your ears after surgery. This can be thick or thin, light or dark and might even be tinged red. You can use a cotton swab and some peroxide to gently clean the ear. Just don’t go into the ear canal.
Keep Your Head Elevated
Swelling is a natural immune system response after anything the body interprets as an injury — which is how it sees surgery. Keeping your head elevated will reduce the amount of swelling you see after any facial surgery. Keep this up for a while; swelling can last up to six months.
Are you interested in ear surgery? Set up your consultation with Dr. Dellinger. Call the office at 512-229-1978 or get in touch through the contact page.
