Infant Ear Correction or Infant Ear Pinning
Many of my patients know that I'm not only a cosmetic plastic surgeon, but I'm also a mom to three children. If one of my children had been born with ears that stick out or other abnormalities to the external ear, medical tape was the only available method to "pin back" their ears. Either that, or I would have had to wait until they were of school age to have an ear surgery. In Houston, ear pinning, properly called otoplasty, is a surgery performed on children and adults for ears that stick out or are otherwise misshapen. Not only is the surgery stressful to your child, it's almost never covered by health insurance.
Since discovering the EarWell Infant Ear Conformer, I no longer worry about babies growing up with misshapen ears, subject to teasing on the schoolyard and the inevitable – and expensive – otoplasty at the age of 4 or older. Children with misshapen ears are often teased at school. Their peers call them names like "Dumbo" or "Elf Ears," and it can really damage their tender self-esteem. Kids want to fit in with their friends, and this kind of damage to a young child's self-image can remain with him or her for life.
The EarWell Infant Ear Conformer is now available here in Houston at either of my office locations. The EarWell is not surgery, so there's no pain, scars, injections or anesthesia to worry about. Application is completely painless. It's covered by almost all health insurance programs, including Medicaid.
Studies show that the best results are obtained when the baby is fitted with the conformer within the first three weeks of life. The reason for this is that when a baby is born, he or she has a great deal of estrogen in the system, from the mother. Over the first month or two after birth, that estrogen level declines. That means that the ability to remold the ear cartilage will also decline. Studies have shown that the sooner the EarWell is applied, the more complete the results.
As both a mom and a physician, I can't imagine anything easier than the EarWell. It's like a little soft cover for your baby's ears – they won't even notice it. It's in place for six weeks and after that, 98% of babies have beautiful, well-shaped ears. I urge you to call and make an appointment with your baby to evaluate whether the EarWell is an appropriate choice for your infant.
