After Otoplasty, your ears will be covered in bandages for protection and support.
You’ll likely feel some discomfort and itching. Take pain medication as recommended by your doctor. If you take pain medication and your discomfort increases, contact your doctor immediately.
To keep pressure off your ears, avoid sleeping on your side. Also try not to rub or place excessive force on the incisions. Consider wearing button-down shirts or shirts with loosefitting collars.
A few days after otoplasty, your doctor will remove your bandages. Your ears will likely be swollen and red. You’ll need to wear a loose headband that covers your ears at night for two to six weeks. This will help keep you from pulling your ears forward when rolling over in bed.
Talk to your doctor about when — or if — your stitches will be removed. Some stitches dissolve on their own. Others must be removed in the doctor’s office in the weeks after the procedure.
Ask your doctor when it’s OK to resume daily activities, such as bathing and physical activity.
Typical Recovery Time
For 1-3 days after their otoplasty a patient’s head will be wrapped in a bandage to promote the best healing possible. The ears may throb or ache a little for a few days, but this can be relieved by medication. Washing and showering usually resumes in 1-3 days after. Stitches usually are removed (or dissolved) at the one week. Any activity in which the ear might be bent should be avoided for at least a month. Most ear surgery patients go back to work about 5 days after the procedure. Care must be taken when wearing prescription glasses or sunglasses for the first 4 weeks.
