Otoplasty

Otoplasty, also called ear pinning, is an outpatient surgery that reshapes the ear's cartilage so ears that stick out (prominent or protruding ears) rest closer to the head and look natural. Steven Mobley, MD, a double board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon in Salt Lake City, Utah, performs otoplasty for both children and adults. Most children can have ear pinning at about age 6, once the ears are nearly full grown, and it is truly never too late: Dr. Mobley has performed otoplasty for adults in their 70s and even 80s.

Dr. Mobley has also been an otoplasty patient himself. Bothered by his larger ears since high school, he had otoplasty at 19, as a pre-medical student, and it was truly life-changing. That experience led him to become a nationally recognized Facial Plastic Surgeon and taught him a key lesson about cosmetic surgery: most people simply want to look like their "best normal," to fit in rather than stand out. Not standing out is what cosmetic otoplasty is all about. For over 24 years, patients from across Utah and the nation have trusted Steven Mobley, MD, in Salt Lake City with their ear pinning.

How do I choose the best otoplasty surgeon in Salt Lake City?

Before choosing a surgeon for your ear pinning, or your child's, ask yourself these three key questions: 1) Technique, 2) Experience, 3) Leadership in the field.

1. Technique: Will the ears look natural from every angle?

The artistry of otoplasty is creating an ear with natural curves, bends and a normal distance from the head. With a sculptor's eye, Salt Lake City Facial Plastic Surgeon Steven Mobley, MD, reshapes the ear's cartilage with carefully placed stitches through a well-hidden incision behind the ear, and he prefers not to cut into the cartilage, which can leave sharp, unnatural edges. He also developed his own helical root fixation technique, which he presented to fellow surgeons at the Global Aesthetics Conference in Miami and which helps even the most prominent ears rest much closer to the head. When needed, a small bump on the rim of the ear, called a Darwinian tubercle, can be smoothed in the same operation.

2. Experience: How many otoplasties does your surgeon perform?

Steven Mobley, MD, performs 20–30 or more otoplasties each year, compared with about 5–6 per year for the average U.S. surgeon in past AAFPRS survey data, which places this Salt Lake City Facial Plastic Surgeon in the top 1% of otoplasty surgeons. As with any operation, choosing a surgeon who performs a large number of cases each year is one of the most important decisions you can make. Children have their surgery under a safe general anesthesia at Millcreek Surgical Suite in Salt Lake City, an AAAASF-accredited surgical suite where every member of the surgical team holds advanced pediatric safety certification, and Dr. Mobley's team supports their emotional comfort from the first visit to the last. Adults can choose general anesthesia, a gentle IV sedation, or local anesthesia with oral sedation right in the office. Recovery is quick: a soft, full-head "mummy wrap" for the first 2–3 days, then a headband at night for about 6–8 weeks.

3. Leadership in the field: Has your surgeon actually written the textbook chapter on otoplasty?

Steven Mobley, MD, wrote the otoplasty chapter in Bailey's Head & Neck Surgery–Otolaryngology, one of the main teaching textbooks surgeons learn from, and was guest editor of an entire issue of Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America devoted to ear surgery. Among his more than 50 published works are a review of 20 years of otoplasty techniques and an instructional article on correcting prominent ears co-authored with Dr. Dean Toriumi.

Dr. Mobley has lectured on otoplasty and lop ear correction to fellow surgeons at national meetings, including the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the Global Aesthetics Conference, and joined nationally known otoplasty experts Drs. Edward Farrior, Peter Adamson and Peter Hilger on a 2013 expert panel on ear surgery. He devoted 11 years to the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City as a full-time faculty member, earning tenure as Associate Professor of Surgery and serving as Head of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Residency Program Director, and has been invited to lecture at seven academic medical centers in the United States and Germany, including Northwestern University and the University of Marburg.

Few surgeons bring experience from both sides of the operating table. Because Steven Mobley, MD, had otoplasty himself, this Salt Lake City Facial Plastic Surgeon often tells patients, "I've been exactly where you are. I was there too." His work in otoplasty has been featured on Inside Edition and Good Morning America, and he received the American Red Cross Hero Award for his charitable ear surgery work.

Technique, experience, and leadership in the field. When you choose Steven Mobley, MD, for otoplasty in Salt Lake City, for yourself or for your child, you choose the surgeon who wrote the textbook chapter on otoplasty, performs more cosmetic ear surgeries than almost any other surgeon in the United States, and has been exactly where you are.