Ear Surgery (Otoplasty) Turkey

If the person who wants their ears pinned back is seven years old, the hardest part of otoplasty isn't the surgery. It's making sure the idea really is theirs. That's the first thing we look at with children, and it's why this page finishes with them.

For adults the question is simpler. Many tell us they wanted this as children and were never offered it, and they've spent years wearing their hair down or angling their head in photos. Otoplasty in Turkey (you'll also see ear pinning or ear correction) brings those ears in closer, working through a small cut tucked behind each one. Surgeons have been doing it well for decades. What differs between clinics is how carefully both ears are measured.

What "sticking out" actually means

Seen from above, prominent ears come down to a distance: how far the outer rim of each ear sits from the side of the head. We measure that at the top, the middle and the bottom of both ears, which gives six numbers instead of one general impression. The plan is built from those figures, so both ears are moved towards the same target rather than "a bit closer".

Sometimes the problem is mainly a missing fold in the upper part of the ear, which makes it look flat and open. Sometimes the bowl of the ear is deep and pushes the whole thing outwards. Often it's a bit of both, and the photos from behind usually show which.

Bat ears, protruding ears, prominent ears

They're all the same thing, and the names depend mostly on where you grew up. "Bat ears" is common in Britain and often what children are called at school. Doctors tend to say prominent ears. Whatever the term, otoplasty in Turkey treats the same problem the same way: by moving the ear closer to the head and restoring the fold that's missing.

Can ears be corrected without surgery?

Only in the very young. A newborn's cartilage is soft enough that a little splint worn for the first few weeks can mould it. After that window closes, the cartilage firms up and no tape, clip or splint will change its shape for good. For children over five and for adults, surgery is the only lasting option, which is why so many adults come to us having tried everything else first.

Folding, not cutting

Think of folding a piece of card and taping the crease, and you're not far off. From behind the ear, the cartilage is bent into the fold it was missing and held with permanent stitches; in most ears nothing is cut away. Where the cartilage is stiff, as it tends to be in adults, its front surface is lightly scored first so it bends more easily and holds the fold. The skin on the front of the ear isn't cut at all, so there's nothing to see from the front.

Otoplasty cost in Turkey: local or general anaesthetic?

Otoplasty in Turkey appears on our list twice. Under local anaesthetic it's €2,200, as a day case, with a short ward stay of around half a night and no general anaesthetic. Under general it's €2,300, with a night in hospital. There's only a hundred euros in it, which suits us fine, since we've no reason to steer you. Children are always put to sleep. Adults can choose, with the surgeon's view in mind.

Whichever you choose, both ears are included. That covers the surgeon, anaesthesia, the theatre, the hospital stay where needed, and the headband and dressings. Airport transfers and a translator are thrown in, and we follow up for a full year, with written notes for your GP or paediatrician. Children are priced the same as adults, and a combination discount applies if ear surgery is paired with another facial procedure, most often rhinoplasty.

Elsewhere it's dearer: the table above lists €3,900 to €5,500 in Britain, €3,800 to €5,100 in Germany and €4,950 to €7,200 in America. If you're comparing an otoplasty price, check it covers both ears.

One ear or both?

If only one ear sticks out, it can be corrected on its own. Ears are almost never identical to begin with, though, and fixing the prominent side without measuring the other can leave you with a new mismatch. That's why both ears are measured every time, and in many cases both are adjusted, even if one needs much less. The price on our list covers both ears either way.

Telephone ear: the mistake to avoid

The overcorrection specific to this operation has a name. Picture an old phone handset. That's the shape you get when the middle of the ear is tucked in hard but the top and bottom aren't. It tends to happen when only the worst-looking part gets fixed. Moving all three measured heights by planned amounts is how it's avoided.

It's worth finding out how many points on each ear the surgeon measures and when those numbers are decided, along with what they do to avoid telephone ear and whether the price is for both ears. For a child, the key question is whether the surgeon will speak to your child directly, and what would make them say "wait". A surgeon for otoplasty in Istanbul who's comfortable with all of that is worth trusting.

Why our otoplasty before and after photos include the back of the head

A front-on photo flatters almost any ear result, because from the front you can't really see how far the ear stands out. That's why every ear we treat is photographed from directly behind as well, before surgery and again at follow-up. The six measurements show up best from that angle, and so does telephone ear, if a surgeon has pulled the middle in too far.

When you scroll through the otoplasty before and after cases in our gallery, the back views are the ones to linger on. Both ears should sit at a similar distance from the head along their whole length, top to bottom. Your own before and after is photographed the same way, which makes each check-in a fair comparison.

We need two pictures: one straight on, and one taken from directly behind the head, which is the one that really shows how far the ears stand out. We hang on to both for comparison later. Tell us the age if it's a child, and whether the idea was theirs, and our face surgery team will come back to you with a plan.

Where the scar goes

It's in the fold behind the ear, so the ear itself covers it. Most people forget about it within months, unless they go looking with the ear bent forward.

The headband weeks

The first couple of days, a padded dressing covers both ears. Then a soft headband goes on. It stays on round the clock at first, usually for a week or two, and after that only in bed for a while longer, so the new fold can set. Expect the ears to ache and feel tight, maybe a little numb; ordinary painkillers are usually plenty.

Plan on six nights in Istanbul. We change the first dressing and check everything before your flight, somewhere around day six or seven, and most children are back at school (or adults at work) a few days after that. Swimming waits three to four weeks, and contact sport four to six.

Sleeping after ear surgery

Lying face-up, head a little raised, is easiest for the first couple of weeks. Lying on the side presses on the ears and is uncomfortable, and it's exactly what the headband is there to guard against. Children sometimes wriggle out of the band at night, so a parent checking it in the early hours helps.

Otoplasty for adults

Adult cartilage is firmer, which changes the technique a little but not the result. Many adults have the operation under local anaesthetic as a day case, awake but comfortable, and some prefer to be asleep. Either way the plan is the same. Adults having otoplasty in Turkey often say the change feels bigger than they expected, simply because they've been hiding their ears for so long.

What otoplasty doesn't cover

An ear that's largely missing or badly malformed needs reconstruction, which is a separate field of surgery. It isn't otoplasty, it isn't on our price list, and we refer those cases to a specialist reconstructive unit. Earlobe problems, such as stretched or torn lobes, are also a separate matter; ask if that's what you're after.

Will the ears stay put?

In nearly every case, yes. The cartilage has been reshaped, not just held, so the fold stays. Once in a long while a stitch gives way years down the line and a bit of the old stick-out returns. It's uncommon, usually partial, and can be corrected with a smaller second operation.

Who's a good fit?

Child or adult, the right candidate has an ear concern that holds up on examination, is well, and doesn't have an ear or skin infection at the time. Adults need to avoid smoking around the operation. The goal is a close match between the two ears, not two identical ones, since nobody has those naturally.

Otoplasty for children

We usually operate from about five to seven years of age, once the ear has reached close to its adult size. Earlier than that, the ear is still growing and the result is less predictable.

Age is only half of it. We'll chat with your child ourselves, in plain words, and ask what they'd like changed and why. If the answers only ever come from a parent, we'll say the timing isn't right yet. That isn't us being difficult. A child who wanted the operation copes with the headband and the first week far better than one who didn't, and is much happier with the result.

Children are always asleep for it, with a parent close by the whole time. If school teasing is behind the request, tell us. It often is, and booking around a school holiday makes the recovery much easier. Parents often tell us the before and after photos surprised them more than their child, who had simply stopped thinking about their ears.

If your child is the one asking, we'd genuinely like to hear it from them. A short video call, with you in the room, is often enough to know whether now is the right time or whether a year's wait would serve them better.