Otoplasty is recommended to improve the physical appearance and to avoid the emotional stress caused by the following conditions

• Large prominent ears
• Disproportionate ears

• Blood clot on the ear which may dissolve naturally or can be drawn out with a needle.
• Infection in the cartilage causing the formation of scar tissue requiring antibiotics treatment and in rare cases surgery to drain the infected area.
• Mismatched or artificial looking ears
• Recurrence of the protrusion, requiring repeat surgery.

• During the initial consultation, the expectations of the patient are understood
• The surgeon shall perform a medical evaluation to rule out factors that may affect the procedure such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, blood clotting problems, or the tendency to form excessive scars.
• Photographs are taken for further comparison after procedure.
• The doctor discusses and advises on options of anaesthesia, surgery, type of facilities and cost with the patient.
• The patient must inform doctor of any previous injury or surgery, allergies, infections, smoking habits, recreational drugs and medications being taken.
• The doctor provides guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking, taking or avoiding certain vitamins and medications
• Steroid injections may be given before the surgery to reduce swelling
• Vitamins may be prescribed to promote healing
• The patient must arrange for transportation and assistance to leave for home after the surgery.

• The patient is given either a local or general anaesthesia, the latter being preferred in the case of children. If local anaesthesia is to be given, the patient is given a sedative to relax through an intravenous line after which the local anaesthesia is injected to numb the area.
• A small incision is made in the back of the ear to expose the cartilage that is sculpted and bent back towards the head after which it is sutured.
• Alternatively an incision is made back in the ear and the skin is removed after which stitches are used to fold the cartilage back on itself to reshape the ear without removing cartilage.

The procedure is completed in two – three hours.

It is mostly an outpatient procedure requiring an overnight stay only in rare cases.

• The patient experiences temporary throbbing, aching, swelling which can be relieved by pain medications prescribed by the doctor
• The patient may feel numbness in the incision area. 
• The patient's head will be wrapped in a bulking bandage to promote the best moulding and healing, which is removed after a  few days and replaced with headbands that hold the ears in the desired position.
• Adults and children are usually up and around a few hours after surgery

• Depending on the type of sutures, they are either removed at one week or may dissolve on their own
• There will be a thin white scar hidden in the natural crease behind the ear after healing
• Patients can return to normal work in about five days after surgery.
• Children can go back to school after a week but must be careful about playground activity
• Patients can resume most of the normal activities within a few weeks but must take good care to protect the ears for at least 6 weeks, or even longer.
• The patient must be very careful to protect the ears and keep them clean to avoid infection or bleeding in the ear after the surgery
• The patient must avoid bending for a month