How Can My Low Set Ears Be Fixed?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m curious about your thoughts on the correction of low set ears for individuals with disorders like Turner or Noonan syndrome. Attached is not my photo, but a photo of another woman with similar neck/facial structure as myself. I’m aware of otoplasty for things like ear pinning and other ear deformities (my ears are constricted as well as low set), but I have yet to see anything in the literature or otherwise for repositioning ears heightwise. Is such a correction possible? How would you do it, if so? Thanks for your time!

A: The surgery for improvement/correction of low set ears remains currently elusive for me. I have tried numerous techniques all of which have not been successful.  The issue is that the ear is pinned in its loctation by the external auditory canal cartilage. I suspect that the canal cartilage could be transected  and rotated to provide some improved positioning but even that would not provide a major superior relocation of the external ear.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon