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| Otoplasty -
Ears Prominent ears, sticking out ears, jug-handles - this affliction goes by a variety of unflattering names, and it is a surprisingly common condition. One has only to look around to see people of all ages with prominent, or otherwise odd-looking ears. There is a wide range of malformations that can affect ears and make them look noticeably ‘different’. The most usual of these is simple prominence where the ears stick out too far from the head. The main causes of this condition are an overgrowth of the conchal bowl, and/or a failure of the superior helical crus to form correctly. Understanding the cause of the problem points the way for the surgeon to correct it. In a typical operation for prominent ears, (although there are many different surgical approaches, and hence no single operation that is truly typical), the surgeon approaches the ‘malformed’ cartilage from behind the ear, so usually the scar is well hidden in the fold. In addition to prominent ears, a wide range of other ear shape and size problems is frequently addressed at Auckland Plastic Surgical Centre. Having an unattractive feature such as prominent ears, may cause far more social embarrassment to a person than people may realize. Certainly children with this problem very often are subjected to a great deal of teasing and name-calling. The anxiety and poor self-perception that this sort of unwanted attention generates is often out of all proportion to the actual severity of the condition. Since such teasing, and the perceptions that one is somehow different, begins in the first and second years at primary school, it is usually best to have the corrective surgery performed before the age of puberty. In older children and adults, successful correction of a problem such as prominent ears, enhances self confidence and permits a wider range of hairstyles. Top ^ 
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