NYC Otoplasty

Meet Dr. Daniel Y. Maman, Board-Certified NYC Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Maman completed a Harvard fellowship as well as a 6-year plastic surgery residency at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He has appeared on The New York Times Top Doctors and Super Doctors in Plastic Surgery lists. 

Dr. Maman is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.  

Whether your reasons for breast lift surgery are personal, clinical, or both, you deserve an experienced surgeon who is a partner in your care. 

Contact us today to request a consultation.

What is otoplasty?

The cartilage of the outer ears forms distinctive geometric features. No two people have the same ears. For people with large, uneven, or protruding ears, otoplasty can help achieve a more balanced aesthetic. 

Ear pinning, or otoplasty, is a plastic surgery that changes the size, shape, position, or proportion of your ears.

Dr. Daniel Y. Maman is a Harvard-fellowship trained and board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive otoplasty experience.

Why do people need an otoplasty?

Your outer ear, known medically as the pinna or auricle, has multiple anatomical markers, including:

• Tragus—the small, pointed protrusion of cartilage that covers the opening of your ear canal and helps your brain determine if sounds are coming from in front of or behind you
• Antitragus—the cartilage arch opposite the tragus and right above your ear lobe on the interior portion of your outer ear
• Helix—the curving outer rim of cartilage running from your scalp to your earlobe that helps collect sound and allows your ear to keep its shape but still stay flexible
• Antihelix—the Y-shaped cartilage ridge on the “flap” of your ear that frames the concha
• Concha—the innermost, bowl-shaped section of your ear that directs sound into the external auditory canal, the tube that leads to your eardrum 
• Lobe—the skin (areolar) and fat (adipose) tissue at the bottom of your ear

Depending on your clinical and aesthetic needs, a surgeon will:

• Use sutures to pull the ear closer to the head without removing any tissue or cartilage
• Remove cartilage and skin through a small incision behind your ear
• Reshape and trim misshapen cartilage, using suturing to create new forms and hold them in their new position

Types of ear deformities

Abnormal ear shape is most often a congenital condition but can also be the result of an injury. Otoplasty is rarely needed for hearing-related reasons, but it can improve the appearance of any number of deformities, including:

• Protruding ears—ears that stick out from your head more than 2 cm regardless of overall ear size
• Constricted ears—ears that are not a normal size and are missing some of the features expected in the upper half of the ear—often the helix is folded over, wrinkled, or tight
• Cryptotia—helix cartilage is partially buried under the skin on the side of your head due to abnormal muscle positioning, eliminating the “ledge” where glasses would sit
• Microtia—external ear structure that is small and improperly developed
• Anotia—complete absence of your entire external ear complex 
• Stahl’s ear—ears with an extra cartilage fold that gives them a pointy shape (“elf ear”)
• Ear tags—benign growths made up of skin and cartilage that are usually located in front of your ear or on your cheek
• Traumatic ear injuries—deformities caused by lacerations, tears, bites, and blunt force injuries
• Cauliflower ear—permanent bumpy or lumpy ears caused when blood clots from repeated hits to your ear (such as those in boxing or wrestling) separate your ear cartilage from the dense connective tissue (perichondrium) that delivers nutrients
• Keloid scarring—excessive scar tissue from minor traumas
• Hemangiomas—common benign infant tumors that can occur in the skin and/or fat layers of your ear

How does the surgery work?

There are three main types of otoplasty:

• Otopexy—pinning technique used to flatten ears that protrude at a significant angle; can be used in combination with both ear augmentation and reduction
• Ear augmentation—adding cartilage, skin, and tissue to increase the size of an underdeveloped external ear complex
• Ear reduction—removing cartilage, skin, and tissue from ears that are disproportionately large

Otoplasty is performed using local anesthesia or IV sedation. For patients who are combining otoplasty with other procedures, Dr. Maman may choose to use general anesthesia.

The type of surgery you are having will determine where your incisions will be, but otoplasty incisions are generally made where your ear meets your head, on the back of your ear, or in the natural folds on the front of your ear. These incision locations allow access to the anatomical structures listed above while ensuring scars will be minimally visible after your healing process is complete. 

Creating a new ear that is natural-looking and proportional to your head requires technical skill and an artistic eye. After the incisions are made, Dr. Maman will either remove, add, and/or reshape tissue and cartilage as required by your clinical presentation. The new ear shape will be held in place with internal permanent stitches.