Because my child has microtia, and I am also a nurse myself, I will tell you the true feelings after ear reconstruction with my knowledge and personal experience. Does it feel hard? Can your ears be very thick?
part1: Will the ear become hard after reconstruction?
Our natural ear is elastic cartilage, which can deform under the action of external force, but when the external force is removed, it will return to its original appearance, which is the characteristic of elastic cartilage.
The ear reconstructed from costal cartilage is really hard
Because we can't find a bone that can replace elastic cartilage, we can only use costal cartilage as ear, but the hardness of costal cartilage is much higher than that of ear cartilage.
Although the child's costal cartilage is relatively elastic, it will become less elastic and harder with the growth of age after ear implantation.
The artificial ear reconstruction stent is hard and soft
For example, the hardness of polyethylene ear implant is higher than that of costal cartilage, and the silicone implant is elastic and flexible, but it has many side effects, such as later exposure.
part2: The reconstructed ear will feel pain
The reconstruction of the ear is a nerve supply, so it will feel pain due to external stimulation. However, there are not a lot of blood vessels around the reconstruction ear, so there will be no blushing phenomenon. It is not because we drink, or emotional reactions lead to vascular congestion, red ears. Therefore, the reconstruction of the ear is more likely to fear cold in winter.
part3: The reconstructed ear will be thicker
The thickness of costal cartilage carving can support the shape of the ear
When carving ear support with costal cartilage, doctors can carve thinner hard costal cartilage, but soft costal cartilage can only carve thicker, because the carving is thinner, and the ear is easy to deform.
Rebuilding ears will slowly become soft and thin
There is a gap between the ear bracket and the tissue that has just completed the surgery. These gaps will be filled with some scar like fibrous tissue, but these fibrous tissue will be absorbed slowly over time, but everyone's absorption degree is different, so the ear will become thinner and softer.
Baby moms! If you plan to perform ear reconstruction surgery on your child, you should accept that ears are really different from normal ears. We should maintain a good attitude and be able to accept this different feeling.
