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Upcoming Otoplasty


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So my ears have bugged me for a long time, among other things. It wasn't a high-priority thing, just something I was flirting with, but was looking into the otoplasty procedure when I discovered one of the best Otoplasty surgeons operates right here in Hawaii, which prompted me to put off any further hair stuff or other kinds of procedures and take advantage of this excellent surgeon while I'm here.

 

My doc is Dr. Larry Schlesinger, a former Army surgeon who started his own practice here in Hawaii called Maui Body (operates on several islands though, not just Maui). He had his own ears done by a student that he trained using his own specific methodology, and they look pretty damn good in person. After reading many testimonials on RealSelf, Yelp, RateMDs, etc. I did a consultation a few months back, and was thoroughly convinced that he's my guy.

 

 

Basically my ears tend to stick out a bit too much for my narrow face, and I just want them to lay back a bit more and be somewhat more subtle. Also, they are noticeably asymmetrical as well, which should also larely be remedied. I'm not looking for a massive change, just a subtle moderate one really, one that makes the middle area of my face (in terms of vertical axis) a bit more narrow, thus adding vertical balance and allowing my jawline to hopefully appear a little more prominent along with added horizontal symmetry.

 

Various pics demonstrating...

 

(Pic 1 - 2010 before any HT's)

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(Pic 2 - 2011)

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(Pic 3 - 2013)

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(Pic 4 - 2011)

3-Month-Rear.jpg

 

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(Pic 5 - 2011)

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I realize they're not horrible huge Dumbo-ears, but they're noticeable enough that I'd like to go ahead and get them out of the way while the opportunity to do so is present; it's not a particularly expensive procedure (especially after military discount), and it's a fairly fast and simply outpatient procedure (local anesthesia only) with fairly minimal down-time (less than that of an FUT HT).

 

My proceudure will be in a few weeks on May 2nd. I'll keep this thread updated with pics and progress, because I know there's alwyas someone wondering about this kind of thing, and even if you have no real interest in such a procedure it's always interesting to read about and watch it transpire in front of you.

 

Wish me luck!

Edited by Future_HT_Doc
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Senior Member

I've actually been thinking of doing this for one of my ears. I do think your ears look fine and you are borderline as to whether you should get this done, but if it will make you feel better, go for it. And your hair looks great!

 

Also, I'm curious what the cost for this is? Also, do you know whether or not you can only get one ear done?

 

Best of luck! (I was stationed at Schofield Barracks for three years, 1989-1992) :)

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Hey if it is something that bothers you and you can afford it go for it. I have to say though that looking at your pictures I would have never given your ears a second thought as to being even remotely large are angled weirdly, not in a million years. We are often so overly critical of ourselves, but if it bothers you it bothers you. Good luck.

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I've actually been thinking of doing this for one of my ears. I do think your ears look fine and you are borderline as to whether you should get this done, but if it will make you feel better, go for it. And your hair looks great!

 

Also, I'm curious what the cost for this is? Also, do you know whether or not you can only get one ear done?

 

Best of luck! (I was stationed at Schofield Barracks for three years, 1989-1992) :)

 

Schofield! I was just there a week or two ago, and I actually bought my car from an Army guy who lives there. The bullet holes are still there I believe.

 

Thanks for the support guys. For Dr. Larry Schlesinger at the Honolulu location, I'm paying about $5,400 for the procedure - but that is a bit over the national average of $3,450 (promotional link removed). This is for two reasons - one, this is Hawaii and everything is above normal pricing here to being with, and secondly that Dr. Schlesinger is regarded as one of the top otoplasty surgeons in America, having pioneered and improved upon several methods himself. I'm fine with paying a bit more on this, because when it comes to one's body, I'll never sacrifice peace of mind or top quality to save a buck. I'll buy non-name-brand clothing sometimes, but it really is worth it to me to know that I won't have to worry about having to look in the mirror at a botched surgery for the next umpteen years until I can afford a repair; doing it right the first time truly is priceless in this aspect. Also, having recently been divorced from a very destructive and irresponsible alcoholic walking human money-pit, I suddenly find that I have more than the needed funding and credit to easily do this with significant financial wiggle room afterwards, and I'll probably have it all paid off in less than 6 months' time.

 

And as far as I know, you certainly can have otoplasty on just one ear, and I think it generally costs less because it's less labor and less time in the operating room. Here's a RealSelf article on it, and I know I've read about cases like that online before. Hope this helps!

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  • 1 month later...
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Glad your happy with the procedure.

(Wylie, I'm a Schofield vet too, 1998-2001, E Quad).

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I am an online representative for Dr. Raymond Konior who is an elite member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.

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I am not a medical professional and my opinions should not be taken as medical advice.

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Looks good - of course when you get out you'll probably grow it long and then who'll notice at all! LOL

 

Passed through Scholfield -1969 enroute to Da Nang.

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I'm serious.  Just look at my face.

 

My Hair Regimen: Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

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Passed through Scholfield -1969 enroute to Da Nang.

 

You win

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I am an online representative for Dr. Raymond Konior who is an elite member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.

View Dr. Konior's Website

View Spanker's Website

I am not a medical professional and my opinions should not be taken as medical advice.

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Looks good - of course when you get out you'll probably grow it long and then who'll notice at all! LOL

 

Passed through Scholfield -1969 enroute to Da Nang.

 

Daaaamn, you went to 'Nam? Respect.

 

Also, I won't be getting out for about 11 years minimum - I'm career... So no growing it out for a little while. That's fine though, I'll just become a scruffy ex-military hippy! :P

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You keep doing your job, brother. Respect goes both ways. I'm one of the lucky ones who came back and got a life. Best to you.

I'm serious.  Just look at my face.

 

My Hair Regimen: Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

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Good idea on going career with that much time in, I did six and could have retired in three years. Honestly, my hair is one of the reasons got out. I hated having to cut it short (especially with the CVG I have). I hadn't lost very much hair at all but was just starting to show signs and I didn't want to be a lump headed weirdo. Now, as I have gotten older, I probably would have had surgery to excise it and just sported a short cut scars and all and stayed in. I'd probably be a Cpt or Major by now as I was heavy into education and could have gone to OCS years ago. I also hated running about 20 miles a week.:P

 

It's cool you have the balls to do the things you have done to make you happy even with the stigma of things like that in the military. I would have been too scared of all of the nut busting that would have taken place. Plus, I don't think I ever went long enough without a kevlar helmet to get an HT.

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I am an online representative for Dr. Raymond Konior who is an elite member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.

View Dr. Konior's Website

View Spanker's Website

I am not a medical professional and my opinions should not be taken as medical advice.

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Good idea on going career with that much time in, I did six and could have retired in three years.

 

Wait wait, you were only in for 6 years and could have retired in 3?? What is the Army's retirement system like?? I have to do 20 minimum!

 

It's cool you have the balls to do the things you have done to make you happy even with the stigma of things like that in the military. I would have been too scared of all of the nut busting that would have taken place.

 

Yeah, I take a fair amount of crap over it, but the military is a "softer" and more PC place now, for better or for worse. Personally I wouldn't mind it feeling a little more "military" and a lot less shiny, happy, professional, tattoo-free, politically correct, and corporate, but it is what it is, I guess. Things will shake out.

 

...I also hated running about 20 miles a week.:P

 

Haha! 20 miles per week! In the Navy, we have to be able to do about 40 push-ups in two minutes, 50 or 60 crunches (not even proper situps) in two minutes, and run 1.5 miles in less than about 11-15 minutes, with slight variations based on age group. We only perform this incredible feat of athleticism (called the PFA, or much-dreaded Physical Fitness Assessment) once every 6 months. That day, and maybe a week or two preceding that day, are the only times a lot of people in the Navy even bother to do anything physical. Most people in the Navy (and the Chair Force too, from what I hear) are in the 5-Mile-Per-Year Club. Granted this isn't the case for me; obviously I keep in good shape, and I continually blow the PFA out of the water to be awarded with the 96-hour liberty chits they hang in front of us like carrots as motivation for over-performers. This isn't because I'm in extraordinary or incredible shape - just a little above average, really - it's just because I look great next to the legions of overweight desk-jockeys panting along, barely making the cut.

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I joined in 97 and got it in 03, if I stayed I could have retired in 2017, which at the time felt a lifetime away. It's not that the army has a nine year retirement, just that I'm starting to get old.

I am an online representative for Dr. Raymond Konior who is an elite member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.

View Dr. Konior's Website

View Spanker's Website

I am not a medical professional and my opinions should not be taken as medical advice.

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I joined in 97 and got it in 03, if I stayed I could have retired in 2017, which at the time felt a lifetime away. It's not that the army has a nine year retirement, just that I'm starting to get old.

 

Oh, you meant retiring three years from now, haha. Duh... I thought you meant retiring three years after you hit your six-year mark, and I was like, DAMN, a nine-year retirement?? I picked the wrong branch lol

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Looking good OS.

 

All this military talk reminded me of this:

 

 

4,312 FUT grafts (7,676 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2013

1,145 FUE grafts (3,152 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2018

763 FUE grafts (2,094 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - January 2020

Proscar 1.25mg every 3rd day

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  • 7 years later...
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1 hour ago, Baldingat22 said:

What does the scarring look like if you don’t mind me asking?

There was mild scarring (like little pink lines) way back when I first got it in 2014, but it has since become almost invisible and the scars are only on the backsides of my ears (facing inward toward my head) anyway, so no one would ever be able to see it regardless. Very small incisions in a very obscure location. It's not a high-profile or intrusive surgery at all.

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4 minutes ago, OtherSyde said:

It's not a high-profile or intrusive surgery at all.

agree. I actually had an otoplasty myself when I was 12. I'm so glad my parents made the decision to pin back my Dumbo ears. 

It's for sure still a serious plastic surgery that should be performed by a well-qualified doctor, but it's a walk in the park compared to a HT

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1 hour ago, Baldingat22 said:

What does the scarring look like if you don’t mind me asking?

Not OP but I've also had an otoplasty. There are very tiny scars behind the ear where incisions are made to remove the excess cartilage. Literally no one will ever see these scars. It's not comparable to an FUT scar at all. 

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2 hours ago, SadMan2021 said:

Not OP but I've also had an otoplasty. There are very tiny scars behind the ear where incisions are made to remove the excess cartilage. Literally no one will ever see these scars. It's not comparable to an FUT scar at all. 

Thank you both for saying. I will have to look into it. I always assumed it was some huge incision all over the face so never thought of it but if it is behind the ear where the end of your glasses it I might look into that

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16 minutes ago, Baldingat22 said:

Thank you both for saying. I will have to look into it. I always assumed it was some huge incision all over the face so never thought of it but if it is behind the ear where the end of your glasses it I might look into that

well don't get me wrong it's definitely a significant surgical procedure and I was put completely to sleep into the twilight zone by the anesthesia (whereas a HT they just numb you up). It's been a long time since I was 12 but I think I remember wearing a head bandage for a week if not longer. And there will be blood and other gross stuff coming from behind your ears as they heal. 

So its definitely a real medical surgery and I wouldn't plan on going to work or even attempting to conceal it for 2 weeks or so. 

But yea its not an incision all over the face, they "simply" remove the cartilage behind the ear to pin it back. 

I'm just comparing it to a hair transplant since we are on a hair transplant forum lol. An otoplasty can still get screwed up - just like any procedure, but I sense it is much much harder to get a botched otoplasty than it is a hair transplant. And you should be able to determine if the otoplasty was successful right away, instead of the brutal and agonizing waiting period a hair transplant entails. 

Edited by SadMan2021
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10 minutes ago, SadMan2021 said:

well don't get me wrong it's definitely a significant surgical procedure and I was put completely to sleep into the twilight zone by the anesthesia (whereas a HT they just numb you up). It's been a long time since I was 12 but I think I remember wearing a head bandage for a week if not longer. And there will be blood and other gross stuff coming from behind your ears as they heal. 

So its definitely a real medical surgery and I wouldn't plan on going to work or even attempting to conceal it for 2 weeks or so. 

But yea its not an incision all over the face, they "simply" remove the cartilage behind the ear to pin it back. 

I'm just comparing it to a hair transplant since we are on a hair transplant forum lol. An otoplasty can still get screwed up - just like any procedure, but I sense it is much much harder to get a botched otoplasty than it is a hair transplant. And you should be able to determine if the otoplasty was successful right away, instead of the brutal and agonizing waiting period a hair transplant entails. 

No yes thank you for using the comparison it is very helpful. Oh you have to wear a bandage will that kinda ensures no being around people lol but ya seems very interesting to say the least. If your ears are pointy can they change that too?

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