Contact Dr. Alexandre Charão: +55 21 99474-9160 (WhatsApp) or

Rio de Janeiro – Brazil

Ear-Pinning Plastic Surgery – Otoplasty

Otoplasty, also known as ear-pinning surgery, is what the plastic surgery to reduce the size of the ears is called. It aims at correcting large ears that may cause discomfort, not only aesthetic, but psychological as well due to frequent unpleasant comments, from both children and adults.

Why should I undergo ear-pinning surgery?

The main motivating factor is to avoid the constant embarrassment in your social relationships. Protruding ears generate jokes, promote a feeling of insecurity and many times affect the way you see yourself.

This is mainly true between childhood and adolescence, where children are constant victims of mean nicknames and jokes.

Ear-Pinning Plastic Surgery - Otoplasty

Ear Anatomy

The ear is divided into several structures. The alteration of the shape of one or more of these structures is possible through surgery to correct the problem. The different ear structures are explained below.

  1. Helix is the free margin that follows the ear contour and is folded forward.
  2. Antihelix is the Y-shaped fold located between the concha and the helix. It is divided into the body, superior crus and inferior crus.
  3. The tragus is the part of the cartilage and skin that protects the entrance of the acoustic meatus.
  4. Concha is the shell-shaped cavity located anterior to the antihelix.
  5. Lobe is the part of the skin located in the lower part of the ear. It’s where traditionally ears are pierced for earrings.

Three characteristics of the ear-pinning surgery

This plastic surgery corrects three basic defects in protruding ears:

  1. Excessively open angle
  2. Absence of internal curves
  3. Oversized auricular concha.

In the great majority of cases all three of the defects above are present in the patients’ complaints. But in a few cases, there are partial defects requiring smaller surgeries.

How is otoplasty surgery performed?

Children above 6 years of age and adults may be submitted to this surgery. In both cases the anesthesia is a deep sedation, similar to an endoscopy. We very rarely use general anesthesia.

The entire surgery is performed through the posterior region of the ear, in such a way that the scar is hidden in the back of the ear and is not visible.

Performing the surgery

An incision is made behind the ear along the natural fold. There are many techniques, but usually the excess skin is removed and the cartilage is weakened, making it more “pliable”.

The surgeon may or may not remove the cartilage to correct the size and fix the stitches in the back of the ear to maintain the new anatomy; then, the desired fold of the ear is defined with stitches in the posterior region.

Post-op recovery

The skin stitches don’t have to be removed, they fall on their own because we know it can be a nuisance to remove the stitches pulling on a recently-operated ear. Generally, a compression bandage is indicated to to help in the healing and the maintenance of the ears in the new position. Patients can resume their activities in a week and the post-op is usually painless with a slight discomfort at most, which improves quickly.

​Understanding beforehand how otoplasty surgery is done is essential for you to prepare yourself, for both the procedure and the recovery, obtaining better outcomes with the surgery.

How long does the surgery take and how long will I stay in the hospital?

Our patients don’t notice the time go by because we give them a pre-anesthetic before inducing sleep. The procedure takes 2 hours, at most. After being well awake, the patient receives a light meal and may go home right after, usually in the early afternoon for procedures performed in the morning.

Ear-pinning surgery outcomes

This plastic surgery (Ear-Pinning Plastic Surgery – Otoplasty) offers a better position for protruding-ear cases, bringing the auricular cartilage closer to the skull in a natural way. Nowadays, artificial outcomes, ears too close to the skull or even folded back are not accepted. Dr. Alexandre values natural and pretty outcomes that don’t leave behind the stigma of an operated ear.

The initial dressing right after the plastic surgery is usually bigger, and the bandage sometimes wraps around the head. This dressing is only used for the patient to leave the hospital and will be removed soon after. In the first post-op appointment we will change it for a smaller dressing, made using a tennis bandana. The stitches fall on their own.

Photos before and after otoplasty

Social network posts are scarce in this type of surgery since the photos show the patients’ faces.

Several before and after photos will be made available at your initial appointment with Dr. Alexandre Charão so that the patient can assess the quality of the outcomes.

How much does ear-pinning surgery cost?

The Regional Medical Council forbids us from publishing ear-surgery prices online.

Due to this restriction, the exact cost of the surgery will only be informed by Dr. Alexandre Charão in your initial appointment at his plastic surgery clinic in Rio de Janeiro (RJ).

This appointment lasts about one hour, according to the complexity and needs of the case. With regard to prices, I remind you that the surgery may be paid in installments, and this will also be discussed at the appointment.

How to have a Ear-Pinning Plastic Surgery (otoplasty) done in brazil?

Brazilian Plastic Surgery is very well-known around the globe. This began with the work done by Dr. Ivo Pitanguy, which raised the bar for modern plastic surgery worldwide.

At Dr. Alexandre Charão’s clinic, we have developed several protocols to improve our post-op outcomes and your comfort, and were able to summarize years of experience in this site text. Our patients come from many different countries around the world and all of them have reported the following advantages of undergoing the procedure in Brazil:

  1. High technical capacity
  2. Lower cost
  3. Friendlier experience in comparison to other countries
  4. Complete team to facilitate a quick recovery
  5. Safety in all steps

The next step for you to eliminate whatever is bothering you is to schedule an appointment with Dr. Alexandre Charão. This can be done in two ways:

-> Sending a Whatsapp message to + 55 (21) 99474-9160

-> Sending an email to contato@guiadacirurgiaplastica.com.br

After you get in touch, we will send you a link for the payment of the appointment, which will be scheduled shortly.