Protruding ears: what are the options for fixing them?

Protruding ears are when the auricles are deviated more than 30 degrees or when there is at least 20 millimetres between the edge of the auricle ear and the skull. This anomaly affects about 5% of the population.

Protruding ears are congenital and often cause social exclusion in particular during childhood. They can be the cause of derogatory remarks, bullying and fights.

Protruding ears are due to an abnormality of the cartilage at the back of the flag. The main problems are the lack of a normal fold of cartilage, which makes the ear look flat, and hypertrophy of the conch, which makes the ears protrude. It can be a source of real embarrassment and people with protruding ears often have real hang-ups about them.

In fact, about 2% of people with protruding ears choose to correct them through surgery. In 2018, approximately 22,884 people decided to undergo otoplasty.

Protruding ears: what are the causes?

They are congenital, that is to say present from birth and this anomaly can be due to several different causes:

• A defect due to a lack of development of the antihelix and the antihelical folds, which give relief to the ear and are then not marked. The ear then looks too flat and too smooth. 73% of protruding ear cases are caused by the absence of the antihelical fold.
• Hypertrophy of the conch: the conch is the cavity of the outer ear where the ear canal begins. The excessive size of the conch cartilage accentuates the protrusion of the ear. 27% of protruding ear cases are related to hypertrophy of the conch or a combination of both these causes.

In general, both ears are affected by these malformations. However, in some cases, only one ear may be affected by these anomalies.

Protruding ears: how to fix them

Today, cosmetic surgery offers treatments to pin back the ears either by way of an otoplasty or implant placement.

The reasons why people want to have ear surgery:

• 43% for aesthetic reasons and physical appearance.
• 29% for psychological reasons.
• 18% because of social repercussions.
• 13% because of the looks they get and the judgment from others.

People who have their ears fixed are experiencing this physical transformation as a real relief and they become more fulfilled. Men can wear their hair short or women can wear a ponytail without any worries.