Otoplasty diary
Hey all. Just had my ears pinned back so I thought I'd write a little diary on here for the benefit of anyone that might be thinking about having it done. I'll give you an idea of how I'm feeling, how it looks, my worries, how my feelings changed before and after etc. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask me - my biggest source of worry before the operation is that there was very little information available that came directly from actual patients who've had this procedure, so hopefully by me giving my experiences like this, I can help someone else out.
Just a bit of background first...
I've always been teased about my ears, they stuck out far more than I was comfortable with and I consequently had very low self esteem. I felt forced into having a hairstyle that was hard to manage and that I felt looked pretty rubbish. The situation got really bad a few years ago when I got to the end of school, and I (rather stupidly) resorted to supergluing the tops of my ears back so that I could have shorter hair and feel more normal. Very stupid I know, but contrary to popular belief, superglue really isn't that dangerous. I used superglue in this way for 2 years, and over that time the only issues that I had were weeping if I took the glue off too quickly (the weeping was pretty extensive) and dry skin. This was all resolved by keeping the area really clean and moisturising every night. I had to have some antibiotic cream before my op just as a precaution too. So yeah, whilst I didn't experience any serious side effects, I really would not recommend doing what I did. It was messy, stressful and also really expensive.
Pre-operation...
I basically started off by going to see my GP who then referred me to a specialist who could help me. I had a consultation with him where he listened to my problems, observed what I wanted done with my ears and explained the operation procedure, the risks and the recovery period.
I then had to wait a while to have the operation because I didn't have a long enough period of free time available to recover from the op. Over that time I had to have a pre-assesment where I had swabs and blood samples taken. I then had another consultation with my surgeon who checked me over and made sure I was all ready. I then had the operation today. And that is where my diary will start.
Day 1) Got to the hospital and had to wait for ages. Completely bearable because I went private and got a really high level of care, if you've got the option there then I'd really advise taking it. Being put under general anaesthetic was really easy and pleasant, it felt like I was having a really big headrush. I went under within 10 seconds. When I woke up I felt great, slightly confused but they'd pumped me full of morphine (lots of fun, highly recommended
) so that's to be expected. I'd liken it to waking up after a party and still being drunk, but without all the unpleasant bits. I was groggy for probably around an hour, but I was able to get up, walk around, eat etc. soon after. It really wasn't anything to worry about. I'm home from the hospital now and the pain and discomfort is minimal. I have to take paracetamol for mild pain and codeine for stronger pain, but so far I haven't needed anything. I've also got antibiotics to take as a precaution. The head bandage is pretty massive (looks like a turban) and I'm having to wear special socks to prevent deep vein thrombosis. Overall, feeling pretty happy about everything now, very relieved that I've finally got it sorted.
Pain 0/10
Discomfort 1/10
TO BE CONTINUED.
Just a bit of background first...
I've always been teased about my ears, they stuck out far more than I was comfortable with and I consequently had very low self esteem. I felt forced into having a hairstyle that was hard to manage and that I felt looked pretty rubbish. The situation got really bad a few years ago when I got to the end of school, and I (rather stupidly) resorted to supergluing the tops of my ears back so that I could have shorter hair and feel more normal. Very stupid I know, but contrary to popular belief, superglue really isn't that dangerous. I used superglue in this way for 2 years, and over that time the only issues that I had were weeping if I took the glue off too quickly (the weeping was pretty extensive) and dry skin. This was all resolved by keeping the area really clean and moisturising every night. I had to have some antibiotic cream before my op just as a precaution too. So yeah, whilst I didn't experience any serious side effects, I really would not recommend doing what I did. It was messy, stressful and also really expensive.
Pre-operation...
I basically started off by going to see my GP who then referred me to a specialist who could help me. I had a consultation with him where he listened to my problems, observed what I wanted done with my ears and explained the operation procedure, the risks and the recovery period.
I then had to wait a while to have the operation because I didn't have a long enough period of free time available to recover from the op. Over that time I had to have a pre-assesment where I had swabs and blood samples taken. I then had another consultation with my surgeon who checked me over and made sure I was all ready. I then had the operation today. And that is where my diary will start.
Day 1) Got to the hospital and had to wait for ages. Completely bearable because I went private and got a really high level of care, if you've got the option there then I'd really advise taking it. Being put under general anaesthetic was really easy and pleasant, it felt like I was having a really big headrush. I went under within 10 seconds. When I woke up I felt great, slightly confused but they'd pumped me full of morphine (lots of fun, highly recommended
) so that's to be expected. I'd liken it to waking up after a party and still being drunk, but without all the unpleasant bits. I was groggy for probably around an hour, but I was able to get up, walk around, eat etc. soon after. It really wasn't anything to worry about. I'm home from the hospital now and the pain and discomfort is minimal. I have to take paracetamol for mild pain and codeine for stronger pain, but so far I haven't needed anything. I've also got antibiotics to take as a precaution. The head bandage is pretty massive (looks like a turban) and I'm having to wear special socks to prevent deep vein thrombosis. Overall, feeling pretty happy about everything now, very relieved that I've finally got it sorted. Pain 0/10
Discomfort 1/10
TO BE CONTINUED.
Day 2) Managed to get a reasonably good nights sleep. Throat was very dry and sore due to the fact that I had a breathing tube down my throat during operation, but otherwise I was fine. I had to lodge my head between 2 pillows in order to stay on my back. My ears were slightly painful this morning but after some codeine I felt fine (need to be really careful with the codeine because it has a pretty strong effect on me). Dressing is slightly itchy and I appear to have bled slightly from one of the incisions but it's not a cause for concern yet. In terms of the rest of my body, I felt like I'd been beaten up when I got out of bed. Very painful abdomen and my back ached really badly - I think it's just because of the anaesthetic. Still feeling happy about everything.
Pain 1/10 (before codeine)
Discomfort 1/10
Pain 1/10 (before codeine)
Discomfort 1/10
Day 3) No changes from yesterday to be honest, the only thing to note is that the head bandage is very itchy. Feeling pretty normal again. I'll post again on Saturday when the bandage comes off (unless something significant comes up between then and now).
Day 8) JUST HAD MY BANDAGES TAKEN OFF!!!! WOO! There was an awful lot of dried blood and gooey antiseptic gel everywhere, so the nurse had to soak a lot of the dressings in chemicals so she could unstick them from my ears and head. My hair was pretty greasy and itchy. My ears look absolutely great. They look natural, the swelling and bruising is minimal (as in almost non existent) and the only evidence of the incisions is two small cuts on each ear that have almost healed up. I'm very pleased with the results and I'd highly recommend this type of surgery to anyone who is uncomfortable about their ears. A lot of people seem to have painful experiences but I really haven't seen any evidence of this. If you're going to have this surgery, I'd advise that you make sure that you're fit, healthy and have a good diet beforehand, because apparently this is the reason that I've recovered so quickly.
I'll put some pictures up tomorrow when the light in my house is a bit better.
I'll put some pictures up tomorrow when the light in my house is a bit better.
Hello, good to hear that everything has gone well and that you're happy with the results. I bet you're feeling amazing!
I've also been considering this for a while and recently started researching it. I've been a little put off by the number of unsatisfied reviews from people online so you're positive words are reassuring!
So after a week of sitting in pain in bed while itching.. the head bands off and you're good to go? I assume you've been advised to avoid any contact with your ears but other than that is the recovery complete?
Which clinic or doctor did this procedure for you? I would like to look into perhaps using them. Also some idea of cost would be great but I understand if you'd rather not say.
One last thing I'm curious about is whether or not you had/have any concerns about family/friends/colleagues etc. knowing or noticing that you have had the procedure. This is something I seem to worry about a lot, I find the whole thing quite embarrassing so I would rather people didn't know. Sadly with something like this people close to you are bound to notice I guess.
I look forward to seeing some pictures
Once again well done and I'm very pleased that you're happy with the results. Thankyou for sharing your experience.
I've also been considering this for a while and recently started researching it. I've been a little put off by the number of unsatisfied reviews from people online so you're positive words are reassuring!
So after a week of sitting in pain in bed while itching.. the head bands off and you're good to go? I assume you've been advised to avoid any contact with your ears but other than that is the recovery complete?
Which clinic or doctor did this procedure for you? I would like to look into perhaps using them. Also some idea of cost would be great but I understand if you'd rather not say.
One last thing I'm curious about is whether or not you had/have any concerns about family/friends/colleagues etc. knowing or noticing that you have had the procedure. This is something I seem to worry about a lot, I find the whole thing quite embarrassing so I would rather people didn't know. Sadly with something like this people close to you are bound to notice I guess.
I look forward to seeing some pictures
Once again well done and I'm very pleased that you're happy with the results. Thankyou for sharing your experience.
Original post by Anonymous
Hello, good to hear that everything has gone well and that you're happy with the results. I bet you're feeling amazing!
I've also been considering this for a while and recently started researching it. I've been a little put off by the number of unsatisfied reviews from people online so you're positive words are reassuring!
So after a week of sitting in pain in bed while itching.. the head bands off and you're good to go? I assume you've been advised to avoid any contact with your ears but other than that is the recovery complete?
Which clinic or doctor did this procedure for you? I would like to look into perhaps using them. Also some idea of cost would be great but I understand if you'd rather not say.
One last thing I'm curious about is whether or not you had/have any concerns about family/friends/colleagues etc. knowing or noticing that you have had the procedure. This is something I seem to worry about a lot, I find the whole thing quite embarrassing so I would rather people didn't know. Sadly with something like this people close to you are bound to notice I guess.
I look forward to seeing some pictures
Once again well done and I'm very pleased that you're happy with the results. Thankyou for sharing your experience.
I've also been considering this for a while and recently started researching it. I've been a little put off by the number of unsatisfied reviews from people online so you're positive words are reassuring!
So after a week of sitting in pain in bed while itching.. the head bands off and you're good to go? I assume you've been advised to avoid any contact with your ears but other than that is the recovery complete?
Which clinic or doctor did this procedure for you? I would like to look into perhaps using them. Also some idea of cost would be great but I understand if you'd rather not say.
One last thing I'm curious about is whether or not you had/have any concerns about family/friends/colleagues etc. knowing or noticing that you have had the procedure. This is something I seem to worry about a lot, I find the whole thing quite embarrassing so I would rather people didn't know. Sadly with something like this people close to you are bound to notice I guess.
I look forward to seeing some pictures
Once again well done and I'm very pleased that you're happy with the results. Thankyou for sharing your experience.
Yeah I am, really happy about the whole thing!!
A lot of people end up unhappy because they have unrealistic expectations about the results or they pick the wrong surgeon. I did loads of research into the previous work that my surgeon had done until I was completely happy that he'd made a good job of it. I wouldn't let it sway you, as long as you just make careful, calculated decisions you'll be fine. Revision surgery under local anaesthetic to correct any small problems is perfectly possible anyway so you haven't got too much to worry about.
I went through a guy called Mr Tare. He works in Essex and London and he is has a huge amount of experience with plastic surgery. I think he specialises in reconstructing peoples hands and stuff like that, so when you think about it, otoplasty is quite simple for him! He's a really nice bloke too, he made me feel really comfortable and at ease and made a point to come and see me after my Op to check that I was feeling okay and to tell me how it went. Including fees for consultation, it cost £2810. That's quite expensive though, you could definitely do it cheaper if you wanted to but I think it's worth the money. I was really well looked after in the hospital and had my own private room. I used money from my savings.
No one has noticed mine have changed. I don't know if you read all of my first post, but I rather stupidly went through a long period of time of supergluing my ears back because they made me so self conscious. This was back when I had pretty long hair, so no one really noticed the change. I stopped using the glue and had surgery a few weeks later (summer holidays so I wasn't in college) and no one had clocked it. Obviously no one knew about the glue so they've got no reason to think that anything has changed. Even so, the swelling and bruising is pretty much non existent for me, and the only evidence of what I've had done is a couple of tiny incisions on the back of each ear. Unless you really looked for it you can't tell.
Pictures will be up as soon as my bloody iPhone decides to stop fighting with my laptop every time I plug it in...
Thanks very much! I highly recommend having it done, it's made me so much happier about how I look. Well worth the money and discomfort!
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There we go. These pictures were taken 19 days post operation. The backs of the ears did look cleaner/tidier but about 20 minutes ago the surgeon removed the sutures so that's why they're a bit raw. Oddly, the most painful part of the entire experience was having the sutures removed, so that should really highlight how easy the whole thing was. Extremely pleased with the results, I feel a lot less like a freak now. I don't really have any 'before' photos to show you guys because I'm too recognisable in all of them (fairly sure I know people on here) but I can assure you that my ears stuck out HUGE amounts (google 'stick out ears' and look at the first photo of the young kid with a big gap in his fringe - that's how they looked) . The operation has made a huge difference and I'd highly recommend it. So if anyone has any more questions about the whole thing then please ask me!
Original post by Anonymous
There we go. These pictures were taken 19 days post operation. The backs of the ears did look cleaner/tidier but about 20 minutes ago the surgeon removed the sutures so that's why they're a bit raw. Oddly, the most painful part of the entire experience was having the sutures removed, so that should really highlight how easy the whole thing was. Extremely pleased with the results, I feel a lot less like a freak now. I don't really have any 'before' photos to show you guys because I'm too recognisable in all of them (fairly sure I know people on here) but I can assure you that my ears stuck out HUGE amounts (google 'stick out ears' and look at the first photo of the young kid with a big gap in his fringe - that's how they looked) . The operation has made a huge difference and I'd highly recommend it. So if anyone has any more questions about the whole thing then please ask me!
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There we go. These pictures were taken 19 days post operation. The backs of the ears did look cleaner/tidier but about 20 minutes ago the surgeon removed the sutures so that's why they're a bit raw. Oddly, the most painful part of the entire experience was having the sutures removed, so that should really highlight how easy the whole thing was. Extremely pleased with the results, I feel a lot less like a freak now. I don't really have any 'before' photos to show you guys because I'm too recognisable in all of them (fairly sure I know people on here) but I can assure you that my ears stuck out HUGE amounts (google 'stick out ears' and look at the first photo of the young kid with a big gap in his fringe - that's how they looked) . The operation has made a huge difference and I'd highly recommend it. So if anyone has any more questions about the whole thing then please ask me!
Hey OP, are you still about? How are your ears a few years on?
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