Otoplasty (Ear Surgery) in Uberlândia, Brazil

Dr. Lorena performs surgical otoplasty and does not perform thread ear correction — worth saying at the outset, so you know what is offered here. Conventional otoplasty uses an incision behind the ear, which allows the cartilage to be reshaped and, when needed, partly removed. Thread techniques — also marketed as closed, incisionless or no-cut ear correction — work through small punctures, passing sutures that fold the cartilage without removing any of it. These are different propositions rather than better or worse versions of the same operation: the thread approach depends on thin, pliable cartilage and a mild degree of projection, and published series on it report partial loss of correction over time more often than series on the incisional technique — and they also report extrusion or breakage of the suture through the skin, and infection, which may require removing the suture. The incisional technique reaches stiffer cartilage and greater degrees of projection, at the cost of a scar behind the ear. What is described here is what the published literature on each reports, so that you can compare the two propositions — and if the choice is the thread technique, it is carried out by those who work with that method. If the surgical option applies, what suits your case is decided from examining your ears.

Operating time varies according to the technique required and the degree of correction needed for each ear, and is estimated more precisely during the consultation.

Otoplasty is the technical name for cosmetic ear surgery — what patients usually call ear pinning. A prominent ear generally comes from one of two factors, or from both combined: the antihelical fold, the inner curve of the ear, is shallow or absent; and the conchal bowl, the deeper part near the ear canal, has excess cartilage that pushes the ear forward. Through an incision behind the ear, the cartilage is reshaped with sutures that recreate that fold and bring the conchal bowl closer to the mastoid bone, and excess cartilage is trimmed when needed. When both ears are treated in the same operation it is called bilateral otoplasty. Which maneuvers are combined is decided from the examination of each ear.

No. The approach is discharge the same day, a few hours after the operation, once pain is controlled and you are walking and passing urine normally — and always accompanied. The surgery is carried out in an operating theatre with an anesthesiology team, and recovery happens at home. Otoplasty is a small-scale operation, usually under local anesthesia with sedation. Whether you go home the same day or stay overnight is always assessed case by case, according to the extent of the surgery, the anesthesia, whether other procedures are combined and your pre-operative assessment — and it is defined before the surgery, not on the day. That same decision determines the venue: procedures with same-day discharge are performed in the operating theatre of Healme Clinic itself, and those requiring admission in the operating theatre of the UMC Hospital — in the same complex, with no travel between sites.

It may be performed under local anesthesia with sedation or general anesthesia, especially in children. The choice is discussed with the anesthesiology team during the pre-operative evaluation.

The area is anesthetized during surgery, so the pain of the operation is not felt; under local anesthesia, touch, pressure or pulling may be noticed while the cartilage is being worked on, and the anesthesia is topped up whenever needed. Discomfort tends to concentrate in the first 48 hours and is usually described as pressure, throbbing and tenderness to touch rather than severe pain — the compression headband adds to that tight feeling. Pain medication prescribed by the team is generally enough for this period, and sleeping on your back with the head elevated helps. The ear tends to stay sensitive to contact for a few weeks, and lying on the operated side tends to be uncomfortable over that same period. Pain that increases instead of easing — including within the first 24 to 48 hours —, especially when it is confined to one side or comes with swelling that keeps growing, is not expected and should be reported to the team the same day.

Relative rest is recommended right after the procedure, avoiding strain and sudden head movements. The gradual return to activities is guided according to each patient's progress.

It depends on the type of activity — jobs without physical strain are usually resumed sooner than roles involving impact or exertion around the head.

It is generally necessary to wait until local discomfort subsides and medical clearance is given, which is assessed individually at the post-operative follow-up.

Physical activity is usually reintroduced gradually, avoiding contact sports or activities that raise the risk of trauma to the ear, as guided at the consultation.

Yes, a compression dressing or headband is usually recommended in the initial days, to protect the ear and help hold the cartilage's new position in place.

The most visible swelling usually settles between the second and third week. In the first days the ear can look red, marked by the headband and held closer to the head than the final result — the cartilage continues to settle over the following weeks. Most patients feel comfortable in public from two to three weeks onward, while refinement of the shape and full resolution of swelling can take around three months. Tenderness to touch, a numb feeling in the ear and a small difference in swelling between the two sides are common during that interval. Your own pace is followed at the post-operative visits, and it is what guides each clearance.

For desk work or study without physical effort, around five to seven days away is the usual expectation — enough to get through the period of continuous headband use and the first dressing check. Jobs involving exertion, heat, dust, helmets or any risk of knocking the ear call for longer. Children generally return to school after about a week, with physical education and contact play suspended for longer. Time away is agreed at the pre-operative consultation, so that work and school can be organized before the date. Any medical certificate is issued according to your activity and your recovery, not from a fixed period.

The band is generally worn day and night in the first week and then only for sleeping, for some weeks — the exact period is set at follow-up, since it depends on cartilage stiffness and on the technique used. Its purpose changes over time: in the first days, gentle compression helps contain swelling and bleeding under the skin; later, wearing it at night protects against accidental trauma during sleep, which is when the correction is most at risk of shifting. It should wrap the ears without being tight enough to hurt or deeply mark the skin. Sleeping on your back with the head elevated is usually advised for the first weeks. Hair washing is generally allowed after the dressing has been checked, using warm water, without rubbing the area and without hot air aimed at the ear.

No — the incision is behind the ear, hidden in the natural fold.

Since it is located behind the ear, the scar tends to mature and gradually fade, though the process can vary from person to person.

There is a scar: it sits in the groove behind the ear and follows the natural fold, which makes it little noticed from the front — in profile, or with short hair, it can be seen. It does not disappear: it matures and fades over the months. The area behind the ear is one of the sites with a higher chance of thick scarring or keloid in predisposed people, particularly with a personal or family history of keloids, including after earlobe piercing. Anyone with that history should mention it beforehand: it changes how the closure is planned and how healing is followed, which may include silicone, massage and, when indicated, corticosteroid injections. Even with prevention, keloids can recur, and that risk is discussed openly before any decision.

Yes, since each ear is an individual anatomical structure, small differences in position or shape between them may persist. This is evaluated and discussed individually at the consultation.

Otoplasty is surgery on skin and cartilage, performed on the surface of the ear, without entering any body cavity — it does not operate on the middle ear and is not hearing surgery. That places it among the smaller operations in plastic surgery, which does not mean it carries no risk: the main systemic risk is anesthetic, assessed and graded at the pre-anesthetic consultation, and it rises when there are uncontrolled associated illnesses. Local complications described include hematoma — which must be drained promptly to protect the cartilage — infection, chondritis, extrusion of a suture through the skin, hypertrophic scarring or keloid, under- or overcorrection, residual asymmetry, altered sensation and partial loss of correction. When the conchal bowl is repositioned, the entrance of the ear canal can also end up narrower — a complication reported more often in thicker, adult cartilage, checked during surgery and at follow-up, and with a described correction. No surgery is free of risk; what can be done is to reduce and monitor each one.

In the first days, swelling, mild redness, marks from the headband and discomfort that eases day by day are all expected. What falls outside that pattern: pain increasing after the first 24 to 48 hours; swelling that grows and becomes asymmetric between the ears, a possible sign of hematoma, which needs to be seen the same day; redness that spreads and feels hot; foul-smelling discharge; fever; and severe pain in the cartilage, which can indicate chondritis. None of these should wait for the scheduled visit, and that is what the direct concierge channel exists for. Treated early, most of these events are controlled without harming the shape; when care is delayed, the cartilage can be damaged.

Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis is used in every patient, not only in those at higher risk. It has two parts. The mechanical one is routine: anti-thrombosis compression stockings and intermittent pneumatic compression of the legs, used during the operation and in the immediate postoperative period, until early ambulation — the third pillar, and the reason the team insists on short, frequent walks from the first hours. The chemical part is individualised: how long enoxaparin is used is defined by the Caprini score, a validated instrument that adds up factors such as age, body mass index, expected length of surgery, hormone use, smoking and personal or family history of thrombosis. None of these measures eliminates the risk, which is why asymmetrical pain or swelling in a leg, shortness of breath and chest pain need immediate assessment, not waiting.

Yes, cartilage repositioning tends to remain stable over a lifetime.

For children, cartilage development is usually allowed to progress first; the exact indication is discussed case by case.

The ear reaches most of its adult size at around five to six years, and that is the range from which otoplasty is usually considered — many families come before the school years when nicknames start. Besides cartilage development, the child's cooperation matters: they need to accept the headband and avoid trauma for some weeks. Newborns are not operated on. In the first weeks of life the cartilage is still pliable under the influence of maternal hormones, and the literature describes non-surgical molding methods for that period — the best time to start is generally before six weeks of age, and results are also described in slightly older babies. Dr. Lorena does not perform molding with splints — when a family comes at that stage, a referral is arranged at the consultation. It is an option that depends on a device registered with Anvisa, the Brazilian health authority, and whose indication is assessed by the team following the baby; a few months of age do not in themselves mean the option is gone. There is no upper age limit: adults have the surgery at any stage of life, after clinical assessment.

Yes — ear correction is a frequent request among men and among teenage boys. The technique does not change with sex; the context does: short or shaved hair leaves the ear and the groove behind it permanently visible, which makes symmetry between the sides and careful scar handling even more relevant in planning. Returning to contact sports, martial arts and heavy strength training tends to be the most negotiated part of recovery, and it is exactly the part that requires patience. Assessment and planning remain individual, as in any case.

Otoplasty falls within the scope of plastic surgery and also of otolaryngology; what matters in practice is that the doctor holds a specialist qualification registered for the field in which they operate. In Brazil this information is public: the Federal Council of Medicine portal lets you look up a doctor's CRM license number and check the registered specialist qualification. Dr. Lorena Gidrão de Queiroz is a plastic surgeon, CRM-MG 85769 and RQE 71258, a member of the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery and a plastic surgeon at the Hospital de Clínicas of the Federal University of Uberlândia. It is worth noting that ear surgery is a medical act and requires a proper surgical setting, with an anesthesiology team whenever the technique calls for sedation or general anesthesia.

Cartilage repositioning tends to last, but it would be wrong to describe it as unchangeable. The literature describes partial loss and, less often, significant loss of correction, almost always within the first months — more often when the cartilage is thick and elastic, when the technique relies only on sutures without weakening the cartilage, and when the headband is abandoned early, which is why post-operative instructions are part of the result. Some patients need a touch-up, usually smaller than the first operation. Direct trauma to the ear can also undo part of the correction. What is discussed at the consultation is what is reasonable to expect from your cartilage, and which precautions raise the chance of a stable result.

An earlobe torn by a heavy earring, an accidental pull or gauge stretching is repaired in a small procedure, under local anesthesia in an operating theatre, taking minutes per side. The already-healed edges of the split have to be excised — epithelialized tissue does not knit together — and the closure is done in layers, redrawing the border of the lobe so that no step or notch is left in the contour. A linear scar remains on the lobe and usually matures and fades over the months; since the lobe is one of the sites with a higher chance of thick scarring or keloid, a personal or family history of keloids should be mentioned beforehand, because it changes how the closure is planned and how healing is followed. A new piercing is usually possible some months later — generally not before three months —, placed away from the scar and never through it; the timing is cleared at follow-up, according to how the tissue has matured. Large gauge defects may require different planning, assessed individually.

Surgical fees are always private — Dr. Lorena does not operate through health insurance. What is possible, when a genuine, documented medical indication exists — such as correction of a congenital ear deformity, particularly in childhood —, is to guide the patient and attempt to have the health plan cover part of the hospital admission, which may include the operating room, the hospital stay and materials, according to the terms of her policy. Authorisation is the insurer's decision and cannot be guaranteed; the team advises on the documentation required and on how to proceed.

Yes, where there is a reconstructive or functional indication — for example a congenital ear deformity, particularly in childhood. Surgery for purely aesthetic purposes is not covered by the SUS. Dr. Lorena is a plastic surgeon appointed by public examination to the Hospital de Clínicas of the Federal University of Uberlândia (HC-UFU) and preceptor of its plastic surgery residency, and she operates on SUS patients there. The route, however, does not run through this site or the private practice: the patient must register at the primary care unit (Unidade Básica de Saúde) nearest to where she lives, be assessed by a doctor there and, if there is an indication, be placed in her municipality's regulation queue. The surgeon cannot choose who is operated on through the SUS — the order follows the queue and the rules of the system strictly.

We do not publish isolated before-and-after pairs. Resolution 2,336/2023 of the Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine allows results to be demonstrated, but only within a set that also includes unsatisfactory outcomes and the complications described in the literature, across different body types, age ranges and stages of healing, and with no editing of the images (art. 14, II). An isolated pair of photos does not meet those requirements and also implies a guaranteed result, which the same resolution prohibits (art. 11, XII). At the consultation the expected outcome is discussed from your own anatomy — what is reasonable to expect, what is not possible, and what the risks are.