Patient Info
- Gender:
- Male
- Age:
- 4 weeks old
- Surgeon:
- Dr. Inessa Fishman
Description
This 4-week-old boy was referred by his Pediatrician with a small bump of extra cartilage located at the top rim of his left ear. This extra cartilage likely developed while the baby was in the womb, and did not improve after birth or in the first 4 weeks of life. Our Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Inessa Fishman treated him with a small surgical excision of the extra cartilage and skin, in our office, with the help of local anesthetic (numbing medicine).  The child is shown 1 week after treatment, with a natural-appearing ear contour and excellent healing progress.
Earwell newborn ear correction is a highly effective treatment which allows Dr. Fishman to correct a large number of newborn ear deformities without surgery. This treatment is most effective if started within the first 2-3 weeks of life, as the baby’s ear cartilage is most pliable during this time; maternal estrogen level are high within the baby’s system at this time, and this contributes to the soft pliability of the ear cartilage, making non-surgical correction possible. We also sometimes see babies with extra pieces of cartilage or skin, or preauricular tags, and prefer to treat these with surgical excision as opposed to non-surgical options.