Earwell

Q: Dr. Eppley, I believe my 6 week old son has Stahl’s ear, one ear looks worse than the other. I found you listed as a Dr familiar with the Earwell system of molding the ear without surgery. I would like more information on this treatment and wondered if we would need a referral by his pediatrician. Thank you!

A: The treatment of the Stahl’s ear is of the congenital ear deformities that the Earwell system can successfully treated provided certain criteria are met. The most important criteria is the initiation of early treatment. The sooner after birth the Earwell devices are applied the better the molding results will be. After the first month of life the maternal estrogens drop precipitously and the hyaline cartilage of the ear begins to stiffen. Once the ear cartilage starts to get stiffer it becomes more resistant to external molding forces. (its ‘memory’ improves) After 6 to 8 weeks after birth the success of the Earwell drops consderably.

One does not need a pediatrician referral to have the treatment. You just need to find an Earwell provider and contact them directly. Going through the internet is both how you will find a provider as well as making contact to get started as soon as you can.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana