It is estimated that at least 20% of adults are unhappy with their ears. Almost all odd-shaped ears (Stahl's ears, lop ears, cryptotia, rim kinks and cup ears) are obvious at birth, as are about two-thirds of ears which end up prominent (sticking out). In the remainder, prominence does not develop until about three months of age.

Below are some examples of ear problems that Ear Buddies™ kits can correct. Roll over the images to see the ear corrected.

Surgery, the conventional solution, is usually delayed until the age of five at the earliest, since before this, the cartilage framework of the ear is too soft and floppy to hold the stitches.

Children commonly suffer years of teasing before the problem is corrected.

Ear Buddies™ kits can help most types of ear deformity in babies (except for microtia or anotia, where tissue is missing):

What is normal?

The average adult female ear is 59mm tall and the average male ear 63mm tall. In boys the ear length is 48mm at 6 months increasing to 55mm at 5 years and 59mm at l0 years. The values are a little reduced for girls. The ear is thus almost fully-grown at l0 years. Thereafter, it remains much the same size until the age of 60 when it gradually enlarges, particularly the lobe.

The gap between the back surface of the average adult ear and the side of the head is approximately 17mm. Seen from above, if the angle at which the ear protrudes from the side of the head is greater than 40%, the ear is considered to be clinically "prominent".

Bat Ear (Stick-out ear)

The prominent ear is commonly known as "bat", "Dumbo" or "wingnut". About 5% of all ears are objectively considered prominent (Farkas l98l) in that they stick out more than 40 degrees from the side of the head when viewed from above. It is not surprising that a number of adults, particularly men, become concerned about degrees of prominence substantially less than this. The condition is not viewed as a deformity in all cultures – in Japan for example, a prominent ear is a sign of luck, success and wealth.

The prominence is usually due to an absent antihelical fold but, in some cases, the conchal bowl is excessively deep.

Two-thirds of prominent ears are obvious soon after birth, while the remainder become obvious as the head shape changes and the cartilage hardens during early life. It is in this early period that surgery can be avoided by splintage with Ear Buddies™ splints.

The alternative to splintage is surgery, which is best undertaken from the age of five years, when the cartilage is hard enough to prevent sutures from "cheesewiring" through it, and before the child is teased by his peers. There are a number of techniques, the safest and most effective of which is the suture technique.  A modification of this technique (Gault technique) prevents the sutures from cutting through, or cheesewiring.  A technique which scores the ear cartilage to weaken it (anterior scoring technique) is popular and quite simple, but it is not always successful, and complications can arise.  Bleeding and infection are the most common, but post-operative deformity can also ensue (see Bat to Worse on the Home Page). Complication rates vary between surgeons and according to the technique used, but figures of up to 5% are by no means unusual. Complete loss of the ear and, very rarely, fatalities are also documented, usually because of anaesthetic complications.   

Stahl’s Bar

A Stahl’s bar or third crus is a frequent finding – the ear is often called a Spock Ear because it can look pointed.  Ear Buddies™ splints correct this deformity easily, whereas it is very difficult to correct by later surgery.

Lop Ear

In a small number of cases the upper pole of the ear flops over and here the term lop ear is used.  Ear Buddies™ splints successfully correct lop ears, and if a lop ear has not recovered a normal shape within a few hours of birth, it should be splinted.  

Rim Kinks

In some ears, a kink of the helical rim or abnormal fusion of the helical rim to the antihelical fold is observed. In some patients the whole ear appears collapsed vertically to give an ear of reduced height. Rim kinks and flattening of the helical rim can also be caused by attempts to pin back ears by taping alone (ie without the splint). Ear Buddies™ splints will correct most instances of this type of abnormal folding.

Cup deformity

In these ears the helical rim is constricted, to give a prominent, cone-shaped ear. This is particularly difficult to correct and although Ear Buddies™ splints may assist, surgery may be required to release the constriction.

Cryptotia ("the hidden ear")

Sometimes only the lower two-thirds of an ear is visible and the upper auricular sulcus seems lost. When the ear is gently pulled away from the side of the head, the upper pole cartilage becomes evident, having been hidden beneath scalp skin.

To attempt an early, non-surgical correction, an Ear Buddies™ splint should be applied as soon as possible after birth to create the upper sulcus or groove. After gently pulling the top of the ear from the side of the head, fix the splint into the groove which appears above it. Later surgical treatment requires the insertion of a skin graft or local flap to release the tethered portion of the ear.

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