Is Ear Molding Permanent?
by Nicholas Bastidas, MD
The short answer is YES. When started soon after your baby is born, ear molding can achieve permanent correction of your child’s ear deformity. Right after birth, your babies ear cartilage is very soft and therefore malleable. It is thought that the circulating estrogen from their mother allows the cartilage to remain pliable. The same forces can can deform their ear in utero, can also be manipulated to permanently correct the shape of the ear after birth. The most important factors I have found are:
1) Time of ear molding initiation
Ear molding should ideally be started soon after 1 week of life and before 3 weeks of life. There is some auto-correction during the first week and so i often counsel to wait at least 5 days before beginning treatment. Prominent ear requires early intervention especially and longer treatment due to what i perceive as the inherent weakness and lack of rigidity of the cartilage. Cryptotia and Conchal crus deformities can sometimes be treated even several months later with success. Lop ear, lidding, constricted ear and cup ear should be treated within 1-3 weeks for the optimal effects.
2 ) Length of treatment
For most ear deformities i suggest 4 weeks of treatment to be optimal and sufficient for permanent correction. Prominent ear needs at least 4-6 week of treatment given the high risk of relapse. Some conchal crus deformities can be treated in only 3 weeks. When babies present late (>3-4 weeks) to my clinic, i may due 5-8 weeks of treatment depending on the severity of the deformity.
3) Consistency of treatment
Ear molding only works if the molds are maintained in place during the entire length of treatment. In our clinic we modify the molds and apply extra superficial tape to help ensure the ear molds do not shift during feeding or sleeping. If the molds are dislodged, we have our parents call and guide them through placing temporary fitting until the permanent ear mold can be replaced.
To sum it all up – ear molding when done correctly and in the right setting is permanent and a better alternative to doing surgery in the future. We have performed over 1000 ear deformity corrections and our experience has helped us create the best strategic plan or your baby. Other then an occasional prominent ear relapse, we have not seen the need for any our ear molded infants to require any further correction in the future. If you have any questions – please contact us or an appointment.
