If your child was born with one ear smaller than the other then microtia surgery can make a tremendous difference. Here is what you must know before the operation.
Microtia surgery can improve the aesthetics of your child's ear but you may not be 100 percent sure that having your child operated upon is such a good idea. A lack of proper information can mean the difference between saying yes to microtia surgery for your child and saying no. Before you make the decision you need to have a frank discussion with your family physician about what this medical condition is and how it affects your little one. Education and proper counseling can help to rid you of your fears.First, knowing the statistics is important. You and your partner are not to blame for the fact that your child was born with this condition. The chance of having a child born with microtia is one in 5,000-7,000. One in every 20 children who enters the world with this condition has a family member who also has it. The loved one might be a grandparent, parent, aunt, uncle, brother, sister or cousin. The risk that an individual who has microtia will someday have a child of his or her own with the condition is approximately one in 20.
Microtia surgery improves the aesthetics of the ear. Most children who have this ear deformity have no auditory loss. Most people who have this congenital condition experience no other problems related to it. It is estimated that 1/3 of those with microtia exhibit underdeveloped soft and bony tissues on the side of the face where the affected ear is found. This is referred to as hemifacial microsomia. Fifteen percent of these children have weakness of the facial nerves. Much less often microtia sufferers are born with cleft lip, cardiac or urological issues. However, this is very rare.
Your child is likely to become aware that they are different when they are around three to four years old. Around this age is when children start to become interested in looking at themselves in the mirror and noticing that the ears on the left and right sides are different looking. Some children take longer to notice. As the parent you need to explain to your child that they were born with one ear smaller than the other. Later you can talk with the physician about treatment options in the form of microtia surgery. You can let your child know that once they are a little older the doctor can help make a bigger ear.
It is essential that you do not make a huge deal about the ear condition. The more you make a fuss about it the more distressed your child become. This is not what you want at all.
Article Tags: Microtia Surgery, Child Born
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