Ear Correction Surgery (Otoplasty)

Otoplasty at Estela corrects prominent or protruding ears by reshaping and repositioning the ear cartilage through incisions placed behind the ear, where resulting scars are completely hidden. The procedure is performed under local anaesthesia in a single outpatient session of 60 to 90 minutes. Both ears are treated simultaneously when both are involved (CZK 17,000), or a single ear corrected for CZK 12,000. Earlobe correction — addressing stretched, split, or elongated earlobes — is a separate procedure available for CZK 7,000 for both lobes. The clinic treats both adults and children from age six, when ear cartilage is sufficiently developed for surgical correction.

Prominent ears — ears that protrude more than roughly 20 millimetres from the side of the head — are primarily a structural issue of cartilage shape rather than ear size. In most cases, the antihelical fold (the inner ridge of the ear) is insufficiently formed, causing the ear to project forward and outward. Otoplasty at Estela corrects this by accessing the cartilage through a discreet incision in the natural fold behind the ear, then reshaping the cartilage to create or deepen the antihelical fold and bring the ear into natural alignment with the head. The technique used at Estela combines careful scoring or suturing of the cartilage — or a combination of both — to achieve the desired repositioning while avoiding an over-corrected, 'pinned' appearance that betrays surgical intervention. Incision placement behind the ear means the scar, once healed, is invisible from the front and barely perceptible from behind. Both ears are operated on in the same session when correction is bilateral, taking 60 to 90 minutes under local anaesthesia. For earlobe concerns — whether elongation from stretched piercings, split lobes from earring accidents, or the gradual lengthening that accompanies ageing — a separate earlobe correction procedure is available at CZK 7,000 for both lobes. This involves removing a carefully designed ellipse of skin and tissue and re-approximating the edges to restore a compact, natural lobe shape. Recovery from otoplasty is structured around the headband regimen. For the first seven days after surgery, a soft headband is worn continuously (day and night) to protect the repositioned cartilage as sutures consolidate. From day eight onwards, the headband is worn only at night for a further seven days. A check-up appointment at days three to four allows the surgeon to review healing; sutures are removed or dissolve at days seven to ten. Most patients can return to daily activities within three to four days and to strenuous activity or sport within two to three weeks. Blood-thinning medications should be stopped seven days before; warfarin requires a physician consultation before discontinuation.