Prominent ears in children
when is the right time?

Why it is worth waiting until the age of 5–6, why the headband is not just a recommendation, and why the child’s own view matters.

Prominent ears have no medical significance. They do not affect hearing, carry no risk and do not get worse. Their only effect is social — and that is exactly why the timing of the operation is chosen on social rather than medical grounds.

Why 5–6 years of age

The ear reaches about 85–90 per cent of its adult size by the age of five or six. After that it grows very little, which means a correction made at this age holds as the child continues to grow.

Before then, the cartilage is soft and still changing. Leave it later, and the child has already been through the years when teasing leaves its mark.

Many families choose the summer before the child starts school. The reasoning is simple: the child starts somewhere new without the subject ever coming up.

Ask the child too

In a large proportion of cases, this operation is requested by the parents. If the child is not bothered by their ears and nobody has commented on them, there is no urgency.

On the other hand, if the child raises the subject themselves, hides their ears under their hair or avoids certain hairstyles, that carries more weight than the adults’ opinion.

What the operation involves

In young children it is performed under general anaesthesia; in older children and adults, under local anaesthesia. Operating on both ears takes about an hour to an hour and a half.

The incision is made behind the ear, in the natural crease. The scar there cannot be seen even with a very short haircut.

The cartilage is reshaped and held with permanent sutures; if it is stiff, it is also thinned from the back so that it folds without tension.

The headband

Once the dressing comes off, an elastic headband is worn day and night for the first few weeks and then only at night.

Its main purpose is to protect the ear from being accidentally folded or knocked while it heals — especially during sleep. The evidence on whether wearing the headband for longer reduces recurrence is mixed, and the regime depends on the technique used. So follow the specific instructions you have been given rather than a general rule from the internet.

With children, this is the main challenge. It is worth explaining it beforehand and presenting it as a rule, not as something to negotiate every evening.

Practical points for parents

• Back to school usually after 7–10 days
• No PE or rough-and-tumble games for about a month
• Swimming after 4–6 weeks
• Sleeping on the back for the first few weeks
• Tenderness when the ear is touched — for a few weeks

A realistic note

The aim is not perfect symmetry. Everyone’s ears differ slightly from each other, and they remain slightly different after surgery. The aim is an ear that does not draw attention — and that is almost always achieved.