What Is Ear Molding? Who Can Have It?
Dr. Hootan Zandifar, MD FACS, is a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the ZandifarMD in Beverly Hills, CA. A native of Los Angeles, he received his medical degree from the prestigious David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He completed his residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and was then accepted... more
At times, newborn ears are misshapen or deformed. If this deformity is not the result of a loss of cartilage and only as of the result of misshapen cartilage then a simple, non-invasive procedure called ear molding can result in the return of the shape of the ear and prevent the need for surgery in the future.
These types of ear deformities are different than a condition known as microtia or anotia (scenarios where part or all of the ear cartilage is missing). The types of deformity that can be corrected using the ear molding technique are typically the result of a change in the normal and natural contour of the ear cartilage.
Ear molding is usually done using some commercially available products such as the EarWell system. It should be noted that there is a short amount of time from birth that this can be done so early identification and intervention is essential to great results. This is because usually, the ear cartilage is only moldable for about 4 weeks after birth. After that, if there is a desire to change the shape of the ear, then we need to wait until at least 5 years of age to surgically correct the deformity.
You can read more about this procedure at the link below.
