You’ve never been happy with your ears. Ever since childhood, people have picked on you because they stick out like a sore thumb. What if we told you that there was a way to fix it?
You can talk to a surgeon about otoplasty. It will fix your situation, but you’ll need to be careful and listen to your doctor’s instructions.
You’re in for a long otoplasty recovery process. You can speed things up by keeping your head elevated and taking your medication as directed.
These are only a few things that you’ll need to do while you’re getting better. Keep reading to learn more.
What Is Otoplasty?
So, what is otoplasty? As you most likely gathered from our little intro, it’s a surgery that involves reshaping the ears. A cosmetic procedure such as this is popular with adults, but teens and children can get it as well.
You can learn more here if your child has come to you asking questions about the procedure. For now, we’re going to move on to explaining how to recover from it.
Follow Your Surgeon’s Care Instructions
Every single person is different. That means your otoplasty recovery time might be a little longer than another’s. Your surgeon will take in the condition of your ears after they finish the procedure to carefully create a recovery regimen that will work for you.
You want to listen to every word that they tell you, or at least have someone with you who can relay the information back to you later. You’re going to be super groggy from the anesthesia.
Keep Your Head Elevated
When recovering from your otoplasty surgery, you’ll find that proper blood flow is the key. The best way to promote blood flow is to keep your head elevated.
You can still expect to experience some swelling and redness, but elevation will cut down on it some.
Don’t Rub or Touch Your Ears
Throughout your recovery from your surgical procedure, you’re going to have to wear a head dressing. It’s not the most comfortable thing in the world. You may be tempted to tug at the bandages.
You must avoid rubbing your hands against your ears. Grazing them against anything will be exceedingly painful and will cause some irritation.
Keep a Cool Head
You’re going to need to keep your head as cool and dry as possible. The reason being is that you won’t have much feeling in your ears.
You won’t be able to tell if you’re doing any damage with your curling iron or hairdryer. If you’re not careful, you’ll undo all the good that the surgery did.
If your face starts to feel flushed, you can cool your ears down with an icepack. Make sure that you don’t leave the ice on your ears for too long, though, because that can do as much damage as heat.
You should also avoid putting the pack directly on your skin. Wrap it in a towel before you use it.
Put Down the Smokes
If you’re a cigarette smoker, now is the time to stop. The chemicals found in your favorite smokes will put a halt to healthy blood flow throughout your body. Without proper oxidation, it will be difficult for you to recover.
Take Your Medication
Before your surgeon sends you home, they’re going to prescribe a few medications for you. These are meant to keep pain and swelling away. For your recovery to go as smoothly as possible, you’re going to have to take your medications as directed.
If you’re the kind of person who always forgets to take their medications, you can set reminders on your cell. Another thing you’ll get sent home with is topical ointments. You’ll put them on your incisions to prevent scarring.
Before applying these creams to your ears, make sure your hands are clean and dry. Dirty hands will cause nasty infections.
Don’t Strain Yourself
Otoplasty isn’t major surgery, but it’s still a surgery nonetheless. You’ve got to rest if you’re going to recover. This means that you have to have to stay away from strenuous activity.
Heavy lifting and exercise are out. If your job involves a lot of physical activity, you’re going to have to call out until your doctor gives you the go-ahead.
Wear Clothes That Are Easy to Take Off
Until you get better, you should stick to shirts that have buttons and zippers. Wearing a pullover is too risky because you may rub the cloth against your ears.
Again, touching your incisions while they’re still healing will hurt. It can also cause infections and irritation if you’re not careful.
Eat a Balanced Diet
The last tip that we have for you is to change up your diet. Your body requires proper nutrients after surgery. If you eat fast food, it’s going to take longer for you to get better.
You may find it difficult to chew right after you get out of surgery. If this is the case, stick to soft foods until the pain starts to subside a bit.
The Essential Steps of Otoplasty Recovery
If you’ve always been a little self-conscious about your ears, there is a way to remedy the situation. Surgery comes with a long otoplasty recovery time, however.
To speed things along, you’re going to need to listen to what your doctor has to say. Doing so will ensure that you bounce back quickly. For more tips that will help you recover after surgery, visit the Lifestyle action of our blog for all the latest posts.
