Auricle repair is an important field in plastic surgery. It mainly intervenes medically on defects, deformities or poor appearance of the auricle to restore its functionality and aesthetics. The auricle not only collects and guides sound waves in hearing, but also plays an important role in facial aesthetics. Therefore, damage or deformity of the auricle may have a profound impact on the patient's physiology and psychology. Auricle repair surgery can significantly improve the patient's quality of life, especially in enhancing self-confidence and social adaptability. This article will systematically analyze the common causes of auricle repair from a clinical perspective, including congenital malformations, trauma, burns, infection and tumor resection, aiming to provide theoretical support for clinical practice and academic research.
1. Congenital auricular deformity
Congenital auricular deformity is one of the most common reasons for auricular repair, accounting for more than 60% of auricular plastic surgery cases. This type of deformity is formed during embryonic development and may involve abnormal size, shape or position of the auricle.
1.1 Microtia
Microtia is the most typical congenital malformation, characterized by incomplete development of the auricle, or even the absence of the ear in severe cases. Microtia is often accompanied by external auditory canal atresia or abnormal development of the middle ear, which affects hearing. Treatment usually requires multiple stages of ear reconstruction surgery, including skin expansion, autologous rib cartilage transplantation, or artificial ear stent implantation.
1.2 Protruding Ear
Protruding ears refer to the auricle that protrudes outward significantly. Although it does not affect the hearing function, it has a great impact on the facial appearance. This type of deformity is usually corrected in childhood by using ear cartilage plasty to adjust the angle of the auricle.
1.3 Deformities such as droopy ears, hidden ears, and cup-shaped ears
This type of deformity is mainly characterized by abnormal auricle morphology, which is usually not accompanied by hearing impairment, but affects facial coordination and aesthetics. Different correction plans are selected according to the degree of deformity, including cartilage remodeling, local flap transfer, etc.
2. Ear trauma
Trauma is another major cause of auricular defects, which are mostly caused by traffic accidents, sharp injuries, animal bites or sports injuries. Since the auricle protrudes on both sides of the head, it is susceptible to direct trauma.
2.1 Lacerations and partial defects
Mild lacerations can be repaired by direct suturing, but when cartilage tissue is damaged or skin tissue is missing, flap transplantation or cartilage reconstruction is required. For patients with marginal defects, restoring the shape of the auricle is the main goal.
2.2 Total ear defect
Severe trauma may cause the entire auricle to fall off, and complex ear reconstruction surgery is required, including multi-stage cartilage scaffold construction, skin expansion, helix reshaping, etc. This type of repair not only tests the doctor's technical ability, but also places high demands on the patient's physical and psychological endurance.
3. Burns
Ear burns are usually caused by heat sources, electric current or chemicals. Because the skin of the auricle is thin and the cartilage is close to the subcutaneous tissue, problems such as cartilage necrosis and scar contracture are very likely to occur after burns.
3.1 Superficial burns
Surface skin burns can be recovered through conservative treatment, but care should be taken to prevent scar hyperplasia from changing the contour of the auricle. In the early intervention stage, silicone gel, pressure therapy and other methods can be used to inhibit scar formation.
3.2 Deep burns and cartilage necrosis
Deep burns lead to extensive necrosis of auricle tissue, which requires debridement of necrotic tissue and reconstruction combined with flap transplantation or tissue expansion technology. For patients with damaged cartilage, autologous costal cartilage is an ideal reconstruction material with high biocompatibility and stability.
4. Infection
Problems such as auricular perichondritis, cellulitis or postoperative infection, if not properly controlled, may lead to tissue necrosis and auricular collapse. Auricular deformity caused by infection requires secondary repair after the inflammation is controlled.
4.1 Infections caused by ear piercing
Improper ear piercing is a common cause of ear infection. In severe cases, it may develop into auricular abscess and lead to local necrosis. Such cases require early anti-infection treatment to avoid development of defects requiring surgical repair.
4.2 Postoperative infection
If the disinfection is not thorough or the care is improper after ear plastic surgery, local infection is likely to occur. For patients with necrotic tissue, timely debridement should be performed and repair should be performed after a stable period.
5. Defect after tumor resection
Common tumors of the auricle include basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and soft tissue sarcoma, which require surgical resection. Resection may cause partial or complete defect of the auricle, which may require plastic surgery and reconstruction.
5.1 Early tumor resection
For marginal tumors, the surgical resection range is small and the appearance can be restored through local suture or skin flap repair after surgery.
5.2 Advanced tumors or wide resection
Auricular defects after extensive excision require complex reconstruction, including the combined use of composite flaps, cartilage scaffolds and tissue expansion, with the goal of restoring the auricular morphology and facial harmony.
6. Comprehensive considerations in auricle repair
Auricle repair is not only about appearance reconstruction, but also involves psychological reconstruction, social adaptation and functional recovery . According to different causes, personalized treatment plans should be formulated:
Cartilage reconstruction : Autologous rib cartilage is often used and is suitable for moderate to severe auricle defects.
Skin expansion : used for patients with insufficient skin donor area to ensure that the repaired tissue matches the color and texture of the surrounding tissue.
Psychological intervention : Auricular defects, especially in childhood, can cause a huge psychological blow. It is recommended to receive psychological counseling before surgery and provide continuous support after surgery.
In addition, postoperative infection prevention and control, functional monitoring, and appearance evaluation are all important factors that affect the final quality of restoration. Multidisciplinary cooperation has become an important development trend in auricle restoration. Plastic surgery, otolaryngology, psychology, and rehabilitation medicine collaborate to provide patients with more comprehensive treatment support.
Beauty Encyclopedia Tips:
Auricle repair involves many causes, including congenital malformations, trauma, burns, infection and tumor resection. Each cause has its own unique anatomical characteristics and repair challenges. Clinical treatment must be based on individualized evaluation to select the most appropriate reconstruction method. With the development of modern plastic surgery technology, auricle repair is no longer a single surgical procedure, but a systematic project. For patients with auricle defects, they should choose regular medical institutions and experienced professional doctors for comprehensive evaluation and postoperative follow-up, so as to achieve dual restoration of function and beauty.