Pediatric Ear Deformities | Susan Yanik, MD, MPH, on Daily Two

CEENTA facial plastic specialist Susan Yanik, MD, MPH, appeared on WSOC's Daily Two on October 11, 2022 to discuss pediatric ear deformities and ear molding treatment. Learn more about this procedure and schedule your next appointment with Dr. Yanik at our Concord and Huntersville offices today!

Transcript of the Interview:

Laura Palka: The Daily Two is brought to you by Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates. Newborns often have ear irregularity. But the good news is it can be corrected if it's done early, and joining us today is facial plastic surgeon Dr. Susan Yanik. Doctor, what causes pediatric ear deformity?

Dr. Susan Yanik: Sure, so it's actually quite common. So sometimes this is a genetic issue and sometimes children inherit the ears of their parents. Other times, we find that ear deformities developed due to the way they are positioned during the pregnancy over the course of the nine months.

Palka: So, is it corrected surgically or non-surgically?

Dr. Yanik: Historically, this was only a surgical treatment and that was something called an otoplasty. We still perform that surgery. That's done when a child is about four, five, or six years of age, usually when their ear is big enough to undergo surgery. About almost 80% of the adult's ear. But now, we have a non-surgical option that must be performed when a child is less than six weeks of age.

Palka: And how do you do this ear molding? How does it work?

Dr. Yanik: Sure, so usually if an infant has an ear abnormality where they have all of their cartilage, it's just positioned in a different way or with some increased folding or bending in a different shape and a parent wants to undergo this procedure, they bring us the child again before six weeks of age when the ears are still pliable. Then we apply a molding device which is a variety of a plastic device as well as some different types of tape. And that goes on for a course of about six weeks.

Palka: And this is generally successful in how many patients?

Dr. Yanik: This has been incredibly successful. So, we do find that the children sometimes only need four weeks of treatment. Sometimes they need a full six weeks of treatment. But what our goal is to have the child have an ear that they don't even think about. We want them to have an ear that looks and feels like their normal ear and when they can be happy with.

Palka: Yeah. Alright, some great advice. Thank you, Doctor. We really appreciate it. And if you would like more information about this procedure or if you would like to learn more about the services at the Concord and the Huntersville offices, call the number on your screen or go to WeJustMakeSense.com. For The Daily Two, I'm Laura Palka.