It is not uncommon for children to be born with malformed ears. This can range from complete lack of an outer ear to abnormal folding patterns of the normal/existing ear tissue. Traditionally, these have been treated with cosmetic ear surgery (otoplasty) around age 6. This usually involves placement of sutures behind the ear, as well as occasional removal of some ear cartilage. The recovery takes 2-4 weeks to heal properly.
However, there are newer technologies (e.g EarWell) in which the infant’s ear(s) can be molded using non-surgical devices to correct ear deformities and negate any future need for surgery. The window to perform this is fairly small though, and must be completed before 6 weeks of life. After this point, the ear cartilage stiffens and does not respond well to the molding process. Please see Dr. Tsang within the first 2 weeks after birth to see if your child’s ears would benefit from EarWell.
Website for parent information: https://www.earwells.com/earwell-parent-page/
