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2 years
My 2 year old son has protruding ear lobes because he sleeps on them. How to correct them and avoid surgery?
May 2, 2015

Dr. Zakia Dimassi Pediatrics
Protruding or prominent ear lobes are usually a congenital anatomical normal variation that are only aesthetically unpleasant but have no impact on the normal function of the ears. Parents usually notice that their child has prominent ears early on in infancy. The underlying cause of this ear "deformity" is largely unknown, although up to 8% of cases have a familial component (inherited). Mechanical causes (such as sleeping on the ear lobes or other) are not implicated in the formation of this ear deformity.
Splitting the ear lobes may be an effective mechanism to reduce the extent of ear lobe protrusion, but it's not deemed as effective when the child is older than 6 months of age, because of the changes to the cartilagenous component of the ear lobes that occur with age.
If you are adamant about correcting your child's ears, you need to discuss surgical options with a pediatric ear-nose-throat (or otorhinolaryngoloy) specialist, who will assess the extent of ear lobe protrusion and indications for surgery in the case of your child, keeping in mind that operations to reduce ear lobe protrusion are most successful (meaning they have the lowest recurrence rate) when performed prior to the age of 4 years.
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