About 30% of babies with prominent ears are born with normal-looking ears, and this problem only occurs in the first three months of life. This can get worse when the soft cartilage bends repeatedly, especially during breastfeeding. There is no functional problem related to prominent ears. Ear cartilage in babies begins to harden in about 2 months. Non-invasive treatments are successful if they are noticed and started before the hardening of the ear cartilage. Unfortunately, non-surgical treatment methods fail after the cartilage hardens.
It is recommended to start using prominent ear bands as soon as the prominent ear problem is noticed in the first 3 days after the baby is born. Baby ear cartilage starts to harden gradually after about 7-8 weeks. This may sometimes be delayed in premature babies whose ear cartilage remains soft for a longer period. The reason why the ear cartilage remains soft is the estrogen hormone, which is still circulating in the baby due to the mother. Estrogen levels begin to drop about 6 weeks after birth. Using prominent ear bands on babies is a completely painless and non-invasive procedure like wearing a Band-Aid. No surgical procedure is required. It is not possible to correct prominent ear deformity by using prominent ear bands in babies after the first 3 months period is completed.
Basic clinical importance of prominent ears; It causes aesthetic problems that can lead to decreased quality of life, decreased self-esteem, social avoidance behavior and poor performance at school. Facing adversity, such as being ridiculed at school, can cause both short-term unhappiness and a potential long-term impact on self-image and perceptions of self-worth. A wide variety of external ear deformities and anomalies can be treated in infants using the prominent ear band. Thanks to early diagnosis and treatment, the need for prominent ear surgery can be eliminated in the future.
Prominent ear treatment is a possible aesthetic problem. Unfortunately, there are very few methods that can be effective in this and similar deformities other than surgical intervention. appears to have yielded successful results. If the treatment is delayed during this extremely important period, surgical intervention will be necessary to correct the result. At the same time, prominent ear problem can be treated with incisionless ear surgery today.
Prof. Berna Uslu Coskun MD