Without question, children are some of the most caring, open and unbiased members of our society. But, as we all know, kids can also be mean, especially to one another. When it comes to social interaction among children, anything outside of the norm can be the subject of ridicule and lead to bullying. One of the most frequent targets of ridicule is a child’s ears, which is why more and more parents are seeking plastic surgery in order to change the look of their children’s ears, giving them a more traditional appearance and, hopefully, putting and end to the bullying.
One of the most common reasons that ears look odd is that they stick out too far from the head. Typically, people think that the ears stick out in this way because they’re too large, but that isn’t always the case. In fact, ears can stick out too far for a number of reasons, including cartilage deformities that push the ears outward or cause the ears to be rotated too far inward. So rather than just being too big, abnormal ear appearance is more likely caused by the way that the ears grew and the orientation of the cartilage.
According to many plastic surgeons, one of the reasons for the rise of cosmetic ear surgery – known as otoplasty – is a greater social acceptance of plastic surgery in general, but there are still a number of misconceptions out there. Sometimes parents feel conflicted about choosing plastic surgery for their child, thinking that their decision is rooted in vanity. But whether we like it or not, appearance does have a practical impact on how people treat one another. A simple deformity, like ears that protrude too far from the head, is a condition that’s easily fixed and can have a huge impact on a child’s quality of life.
When it comes to the formation of the ear, early prevention is better. In fact, some parents have started to address the issue in newborns by having doctors remold the cartilage non-surgically when it’s still malleable. If the ear formation isn’t corrected in the first few weeks of life, however, surgery is the only alternative, but children as young as five and six are still perfectly viable candidates for osteopathy.
At the end of the day, it’s up to parents to determine what’s best for their children. Although plastic surgery can seem like a scary concept, especially for a young child, when it comes to ear deformities, a simple procedure could save a child from a lifetime of bullying.
If you or someone you know would like to learn more about plastic surgery, please feel free to schedule a consultation or contact one of our representatives today!
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