Ear Surgery (Otoplasty) in Turkey

Prominent ears are almost always caused by one or both of two things, and understanding which applies to you explains what the surgeon will actually do. An absent or poorly formed antihelical fold — the gentle ridge that should curve within the ear — means the upper ear has nothing holding it back. An overdeveloped conchal bowl, the deep cup next to the ear canal, pushes the whole ear outward from the head.

Most prominent ears have both, in different proportions. A surgeon who only recreates the fold in an ear with a deep conchal bowl will produce an upper ear that sits back and a lower ear that still projects — the commonest technical failure in this operation, and one that is immediately visible.

The measurements that define the result

• Helical rim to mastoid distance: normally 15–20 mm at the top, 16–18 mm in the middle and 10–12 mm at the lobe. Prominent ears exceed these.
• Auriculocephalic angle: the angle between ear and head, normally 20–30 degrees. Above 35 degrees reads as prominent.
• Symmetry within 3 mm: ears are never identical, and matching them to within about 3 mm is the realistic target rather than perfection.
• The lobe: frequently forgotten. An ear pinned correctly at the top with a lobe still sticking out looks worse than one left alone.

What the package includes

• Surgeon and anaesthetist fees
• Pre-operative blood tests
• The procedure under your chosen anaesthetic
• Four nights in a four-star hotel with breakfast
• All airport, hotel and clinic transfers
• A personal English-speaking coordinator
• Post-operative head bandage and support headband
• Suture removal where non-dissolving sutures are used
• Scar care products for the first three months
• Twelve months of remote aftercare

Children and otoplasty

Valentmedica does not treat patients under 18. Ear cartilage reaches near-adult size by about five or six, and otoplasty in childhood is common in many countries — but operating on a child abroad, away from their own healthcare system and with limited follow-up, is not something we are prepared to arrange. If your child needs this, have it done where they live.

Otoplasty is usually suitable if

• Your ears project noticeably from your head and always have.
• You wear your hair deliberately to cover them.
• One ear is noticeably more prominent than the other.
• The upper fold of your ear is absent or poorly formed.
• You have a stretched, split or torn earlobe to repair.
• You are over 18, a non-smoker or can stop for four weeks, and in good health.

You may need something else, or to wait

• You are under 18: have it done in your own healthcare system, where follow-up is straightforward.
• You expect perfect symmetry: ears are never identical, and matching within about 3 mm is the realistic goal.
• You cannot wear a headband at night for six weeks: this directly determines whether the correction holds.
• You have a keloid tendency: the skin behind the ear is a recognised site for keloid formation and needs assessing first.
• You have an active ear infection or skin condition behind the ear.
• Your concern is ear size rather than prominence: reduction is a different and less predictable operation.

Our self-check below gives you a starting answer, and a Valentmedica plastic surgeon reviews your photographs free of charge before you commit to anything.

1. Marking and measuring: your surgeon measures the distance from the helical rim to the head at the top, middle and lobe of each ear, and marks the planned correction. These numbers are what make the two ears match.
2. Anaesthetic: local anaesthetic with sedation for most adults, or general anaesthetic if you prefer.
3. Incision: made in the crease behind the ear, where the scar is completely hidden. A strip of skin is removed only where necessary.
4. Creating the antihelical fold: the cartilage is scored on its front surface or shaped with a series of mattress sutures — the Mustardé technique — to recreate the fold that should curve within the ear. Scoring weakens the cartilage so it bends naturally rather than being forced.
5. Reducing the conchal bowl: where the bowl is deep, cartilage is either excised or set back against the mastoid with sutures, bringing the whole ear closer to the head.
6. Addressing the lobe: if the lobe still projects, it is repositioned. An ear pinned at the top with a protruding lobe is a recognisable failure.
7. Checking symmetry: both ears are measured again at all three points with you sitting upright, and compared from the front rather than from behind.
8. Closing: closed with fine sutures and a firm head bandage applied to support the new position and prevent a haematoma.

• Days 1–2: a firm head bandage covers both ears. Tenderness and throbbing are normal, controlled with simple painkillers.
• Day 3: bandage removed and replaced with a lighter dressing. Ears look swollen, red and more pinned than the final result.
• Days 5–7: most patients are back at a desk job. Swelling settling. Headband worn day and night.
• Weeks 1–2: headband day and night. Sleeping on your back only — rolling onto a newly pinned ear can disrupt the sutures.
• Weeks 2–6: headband at night only. Normal activity, but no contact sport and nothing that could catch the ear.
• Weeks 6–8: headband can stop. Light exercise and swimming resume.
• Months 3–6: the final position settles. The ears relax outward very slightly from their immediate post-operative position, which is expected and planned for.

Valentmedica works only with licensed hospitals and clinics in Istanbul and with plastic surgeons registered with the Turkish Ministry of Health who hold Turkish Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons membership.

Risks you should know about

• Haematoma: the most urgent risk, in the first 48 hours, and the reason for the firm bandage and for staying nearby.
• Asymmetry: ears are never identical, and matching within about 3 mm is the realistic standard.
• Relapse: partial return of prominence, usually from inadequate cartilage shaping or from not wearing the headband.
• Over-correction: ears pinned too flat against the head look as unnatural as prominent ones, and are difficult to reverse.
• Telephone deformity: the middle of the ear pinned more than the top and bottom, leaving an hourglass shape.
• Keloid scarring: the skin behind the ear is a recognised keloid site, and worth raising if you are prone.
• Infection and chondritis: uncommon, but infection of the cartilage is serious and needs prompt antibiotics.
• Numbness: of the ear, usually temporary over a few months.

Tell your surgeon if you have ever had a raised, spreading scar from a piercing — earlobe piercings are a classic site for keloids, and a history there is directly relevant to an incision behind the ear.

Because the operation is performed under local anaesthetic with sedation and takes one to two hours, it fits comfortably alongside most other facial work without pushing anaesthetic time anywhere near its limit.

Commonly combined with

• Earlobe reduction or repair: large, stretched or split lobes addressed in the same sitting, adding minimal time.
• Rhinoplasty: the two most common facial-proportion operations, frequently done together. See rhinoplasty.
• Chin or jawline contouring: facial balance is about proportion, and ears, nose and chin all contribute. See chin and jawline contouring.
• Hair transplant: possible in the same trip, though the headband after otoplasty complicates hair transplant aftercare — your surgeon will advise on sequencing.

If you are considering both otoplasty and a hair transplant, mention it early. The six-week headband presses exactly where donor grafts are harvested, so the two usually need separating or careful sequencing.

• Photographs: front, back and both sides, with hair held completely clear of the ears. The front view is what the surgeon plans from.
• Keloid history: tell your surgeon if you have ever had a raised scar from a piercing, cut or acne. The skin behind the ear is a recognised keloid site.
• Medication: tell your surgeon everything you take. Blood thinners and anti-inflammatories increase the risk of haematoma, which is the main early complication here.
• Smoking: stop at least four weeks before and after. Skin behind the ear has a modest blood supply.
• Spare headband: buy a second so you can wash one and wear the other for six weeks.
• Sleeping: plan to sleep on your back for two weeks. A travel pillow either side of your head helps if you tend to roll.
• Time off: plan five to seven days. The bandage is obvious for the first three days, and the headband afterwards is discreet but visible.

Otoplasty consistently reports some of the highest satisfaction rates in plastic surgery, for a simple reason: the complaint is specific, the correction is objective and the result does not depend on ageing, weight or healing quality in the way most aesthetic operations do. Patients who have spent decades arranging their hair to cover their ears tend to describe the change as disproportionate to the size of the operation.

The aim is normal rather than flat. Ears pinned hard against the head look as obviously operated on as prominent ones, and a natural result preserves the gentle outward curve at the top and a visible fold within the ear. The scar sits in the crease behind the ear and is invisible from any angle anyone looks at you from. You can see front and rear views at three and twelve months in our before and after gallery.