Otoplasty before and after photos

Before and after photographs help explain what otoplasty - ear pinning or cosmetic ear surgery - actually changes. They need some interpretation, because ear photographs are unusually sensitive to how they were taken.

Me Clinic's photographs are shown and discussed during consultation, where your surgeon can select cases relevant to your anatomy.

The standards these photos must meet

Before and after images used by registered health practitioners in Australia are governed by the Medical Board of Australia's Guidelines for advertising regulated health services.

Images must be genuine - real patients, real results.
Photographs on this website have been retouched only to protect patient privacy, never to enhance or alter the results of the surgery.
Images must carry a clear and prominent disclaimer that results may vary between individuals.
Patients must consent to the use of their images. Where the patient was a child at the time, consent involves the parent or guardian, and the child's own views matter.

Results may vary between individuals. A photograph records one person's outcome, not a prediction of yours.

How to read an otoplasty photo

The view matters more here than almost anywhere. The meaningful comparison for prominent ears is the frontal view and the posterior (from behind) view, because those show how far the ear stands off the head. A side-on profile shot can look changed simply because the camera moved.
Both ears in frame. A photograph showing one ear tells you nothing about symmetry, which is one of the main things to assess.
Consistent conditions. Same lighting, distance, head position and camera height in both frames. A small rotation of the head substantially changes how prominent an ear appears.
Hair. Hair pulled back in one image and loose in the other is not a comparison.
How much time has passed. Swelling settles over about a week, but the ear continues to settle for months, and cartilage can relax slightly over the first year. A photograph at two weeks and one at twelve months show different things.

What to look for beyond protrusion

A well-executed otoplasty is judged on more than how flat the ears are:

Natural contours. The ear should retain its normal folds. Over-correction can produce a flattened, featureless look, sometimes described as a telephone or plastered-down appearance.
Symmetry, within reason. The two ears should be reasonably balanced. Exact symmetry is not achievable - no two ears are identical, including your own before surgery.
Proportion. The ear should sit in reasonable relation to the head, not pinned tightly against it.
The scar. It sits behind the ear and is usually well concealed, but it is permanent. Ask to see it.

Why your result will differ

Outcomes vary with the shape and stiffness of your cartilage, how much of the protrusion comes from the antihelical fold versus the concha, the technique used, and individual healing. Cartilage that is thick and stiff behaves differently under sutures to cartilage that is soft and pliable, and the same operation on two people can settle differently.

Some recurrence of protrusion over time is possible as cartilage relaxes against the sutures holding it.

Where photographs cannot help

Photographs show the anatomical change. They do not show whether the person was glad they had it done, and that is the question most people are actually asking. Variation in ear shape and size is normal, and prominent ears are not a defect. Whether to have surgery is a personal decision, and for children it is one that deserves the child's own considered view.

For patients under 18, Australian law requires additional safeguards for cosmetic surgery, including assessment by a registered psychologist, psychiatrist or GP and a three-month cooling-off period.

Costs and consultation

Otoplasty at Me Clinic ranges from $7,000 to $14,000. As at September 2024 and including GST, a consultation with a Specialist Plastic Surgeon is $350. See otoplasty costs.

Since 1 July 2023, all patients are required to have a GP referral before seeing a plastic surgeon or doctor about cosmetic surgery.

Risks

All surgical procedures carry risks and potential complications, including infection, bleeding and haematoma, permanent scarring behind the ear, asymmetry, over-correction or under-correction, recurrence of protrusion, changes in sensation, suture extrusion or visible sutures, anaesthesia complications, and the possible need for revision surgery. Infection of the cartilage is rare but can cause permanent deformity.

Please read our information on the risks and complications of cosmetic surgery before proceeding.

Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

See otoplasty costs, non-surgical ear correction, or all face procedures.