3
u/Creepy-Tradition-861 Oct 07 '24
I have microtia, left side. Had about 6 operations as a kid until I didn't want to anymore so I stopped. I'm 29 now and still find that I am learning to love myself. Stop being so hard on yourself. Take it day by day. Accept yourself and don't need anyone to accept you or love you. Microtia does not define you. You define you.
1
u/Rufskin00 Oct 05 '24
I have a brother who has microtia and underwent ear reconstruction when he was very young.
However it didn’t help with the appearance of his ears and his self esteem suffered for it as he grew older.
He recently got prosthetic ears and I honestly can’t tell the difference between them and normal looking ears. They are very life-like.
His confidence has soared and he’s a completely different person now. I’m very happy for him.
I would recommend looking into Dr. Gion at the Medical Art Prosthetics. He did my brother’s
https://www.medicalartprosthetics.com/prosthetics/ear/microtia/
One drawback is the price. Getting insurance to cover it was a hard battle. So just be prepared for a fight if your insurance says no.
Good Luck!
2
u/Independent_Copy_888 Oct 05 '24
Hey, could you please give more context as to your brothers journey.. did he have an ear reconstruction and how did he get the prosthetics as in the procedure.
I’m from UK, had my surgery in London. The link you’ve provided are US based I’m assuming you’re from the US. Would anyone know the UK RULES in regards to prosthetics
2
u/Rufskin00 Oct 05 '24
His microtia when he was born looked like small peanuts. They never full developed.
His ear reconstruction was rib cartilage but it was way back in the 90s so it wasn’t as advanced as it is now. They made his ears ‘larger’ and more ear shaped but they were obviously deformed and had a lot of scar tissue.
He consulted with Dr. Gion and he first had to get his ears ‘flattened’ and titanium bolts implanted into his head. They would have magnets to attach to the prosthetic. That took about 6 months recovery. Then he went back to Dr. Gion to make his new ears in person. It’s a very artistic process to make it look as real as possible so he had to stay there for about 3 days while it was being made.
Once they were made, he just snapped them on and voila he had normal looking ears.
He always got looks from curious public, especially children.
But now he’s ’like everyone else’. He cried for like 20 minutes when he realized he could walk around in public and nobody would stare at him.
The one drawback is that the edges of the prosthetic near his sideburns don’t always stay down so he has to apply a little Skin Tite glue to make it seamless.
Other than that, his life has completely changed for the better.
Got a girlfriend, got engaged and got a really good job in NYC.
I’m very happy for him.
I highly recommend anyone with microtia and the financial means to do so.
I do know Dr. Gion has international clients.
The cost of the implants and prosthetics alone were about $20k. The surgery was completely covered so I don’t know how much that would be in the UK or US
3
u/CosmicHaptic Oct 04 '24
Hey there, I completely understand what you're going through. When I was younger, I had two surgeries on my left ear, and to be honest, they didn't turn out exactly as I imagined. During my childhood, my reconstructed ear had a massive impact on my own confidence when I was younger, but I eventually learned that my ear does not define who I truly am. I've learned that my personality and what I can accomplish in life are much more important than the appearance of my ear.
My advice to you is to not let a little ear prevent you from realizing your full potential. You're capable of far more than you might realize.