Tips for Parents Worried About Their Child's Upcoming Microtia Surgery
Microtia is a birth defect characterized by a small, missing, or malformed exterior ear. The condition can affect a child’s appearance and self-confidence. Microtia can also compromise a child’s hearing when it impacts the inner ear.
Dr. John Reinisch specializes in microtia surgery at his Beverly Hills, CA, plastic surgery center. Microtia surgery reconstructs the ear and can address any hearing loss. Microtia is a safe and effective procedure. Despite the advantages of microtia treatment, it is natural to feel nervous about a child undergoing surgery. Here, we suggest tips for parents worried about their child’s upcoming microtia surgery. We hope to ease nerves and help parents confidently face their child’s microtia procedure.
Nerves Are Natural
Every surgical procedure has a degree of risk, so feeling nervous about a child’s microtia treatment is understandable. While it’s important to acknowledge feelings of worry and apprehension, it’s not a good idea to let negative emotions take over. We encourage our Beverly Hills patients to remember why their child is undergoing microtia surgery and how it will positively impact their lives.
Focus on the Benefits of Treatment
When parents start to feel anxiety about microtia surgery, we encourage them to remember the benefits of treatment. Depending on how microtia affects a child and whether defects are present on the outer ear, inner ear, or both, microtia surgery can provide the following benefits:
- Enhanced appearance of the outer ear
- Symmetry between the two ears
- Improved self-confidence
- Better hearing
- Avoidance or treatment of speech delays or speech impairment
Remember that Dr. Reinisch Is a Microtia Specialist
Even knowing the benefits of microtia treatment, parents may have concerns about their child’s safety throughout surgery. Microtia surgery has a high rate of safety and success. Dr. John Reinisch is a leading microtia specialist with elite training and experience that further promotes treatment success. Dr. Reinisch trained at Harvard Medical School and has been a visiting professor at Harvard, Stanford, and international universities. He has trained over 200 surgeons from more than 25 countries. Dr. Reinisch works with a team of equally impressive medical professionals.
Dr. Reinisch is widely recognized as a leader in microtia treatment due primarily to his creation of the MEDPOR® technique. The MEDPOR® technique uses a polyethylene framework and grafts of the patient’s skin to reconstruct the ear. This technique results in minimal scarring and can be performed on children as young as three.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
Knowledge is the best way to combat surgical fears and anxiety. We strive to educate parents about all aspects of their child’s microtia treatment. We want our Beverly Hills patients to know what to expect before, during, and after surgery. If anything is unclear or parents need clarification about any aspects of surgical preparation, the surgical procedure, or recovery, we encourage them to ask questions.
Contact Us
Patient safety and comfort are among Dr. John Reinisch’s top priorities when providing microtia treatment. If your child is a candidate for microtia surgery and you’d like to learn more about treatment options and how to best prepare yourself and your child for treatment, we’d be happy to provide more information. Send a message to our plastic surgery center to request an appointment at your earliest convenience.