Table of contents

• Otoplasty at a Glance
• What Is Otoplasty?
• Who Is a Good Candidate for Otoplasty?
• How Is Otoplasty Performed?
• Why Visit Korea for Otoplasty?
• Key Information for International Patients
• Which Are the Best Clinics in Korea for Otoplasty?
• Otoplasty From Start to Finish
• Alternatives to Otoplasty
• How Can I Prepare for Otoplasty?
• Aftercare Advice

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Last updated: September 2026

Otoplasty at a Glance

• What it does — Otoplasty is outpatient surgery that reshapes or sets back the visible outer ear to reduce prominence, improve contour, or address asymmetry; it does not restore hearing.
• Who it suits — Candidates include adults, adolescents, and often children from about age 5 with prominent ears or structural concerns who want natural improvement rather than perfectly identical ears and can follow aftercare.
• Procedure time — Surgery usually takes about 1–3 hours and may use local anesthesia, sedation, or general anesthesia depending on age, anxiety, anatomy, and procedure complexity.
• Recovery timeline — A protective dressing is commonly worn from about 24 hours to 1 week, and many people return to desk work or school at about 1 week, though swelling, numbness, and scar settling continue for weeks to months.
• Travel planning — International patients should plan 10–14 days in Korea for examination, surgery, early wound review, possible suture removal, and individualized clearance before a long-haul flight.
• Key risks — Complications can include hematoma, infection, asymmetry, scarring, palpable or extruded sutures, contour irregularity, recurrent prominence, and revision; pooled cartilage-sparing estimates reported 4.27% recurrence/reoperation and 1.34% hematoma/hemorrhage.
• Korea-specific consideration — Korea has substantial international-patient infrastructure, with about 1.17 million foreign patients reported in 2024, but no national data establish Korean otoplasty-specific case volume, complication rates, or superior outcomes.

What Is Otoplasty?

Otoplasty is an operation that reshapes or repositions the visible outer ears to reduce prominence or improve their contour. It addresses concerns about protruding ears, asymmetry, or certain ear-shape differences, aiming for a balanced, natural-looking result rather than identical ears. It is a surgical procedure, usually performed as outpatient ear surgery.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Otoplasty?

• Adults and adolescents with prominent ears — Good candidates have a persistent concern about ear projection, shape, asymmetry, or proportion and want a natural reduction in prominence rather than perfectly identical ears.
• Children from about age 5 — Surgery is commonly considered once ear growth is sufficiently advanced, provided the child wants the operation and can cooperate with dressings, sleep position, and activity limits.
• Anatomy-led candidates — Assessment is particularly useful for an underdeveloped antihelical fold, excessive conchal projection, prominent lobules, thick or rigid cartilage, Stahl ear, constricted ear, or a combination of features.
• Revision candidates — Recurrent prominence, palpable or extruded sutures, contour problems, asymmetry, or prior ear surgery can be assessed for revision otoplasty, although altered scar tissue makes revision less predictable.

Elective otoplasty should wait until otitis externa, chronic ear infection, infected dermatitis or eczema, open wounds, and nearby skin infections have fully resolved. Uncontrolled diabetes, serious heart or lung disease, bleeding disorders, immunosuppression, and conditions that impair anesthesia or wound healing require optimization and can rule out cosmetic surgery. Nicotine from cigarettes, vaping, pouches, patches, or gum impairs healing; disclose all use and follow the surgeon’s cessation plan. A keloid or hypertrophic-scar history is not an automatic exclusion, but it needs explicit scar-risk counseling and a prevention plan. Prominent ears usually do not cause hearing loss, so otoplasty changes outer-ear appearance rather than restoring hearing.

How Is Otoplasty Performed?

Technique follows cartilage stiffness, ear projection, fold definition, conchal shape, lobule position, skin quality, and existing asymmetry. A named technique alone does not determine whether the result will look natural.

• Cartilage-sparing suture otoplasty — Through an incision behind the ear, permanent or long-lasting mattress sutures can recreate the antihelical fold (Mustardé-type sutures) and secure the concha closer to the mastoid area (Furnas-type sutures). This avoids deliberate cartilage cutting but can cause palpable sutures, extrusion, asymmetry, or later loss of correction.
• Cartilage scoring, weakening, or limited excision — Selective scoring, thinning, bending, or removal reshapes stiff cartilage or reduces conchal excess. It can suit selected adult ears and more pronounced deformities, but excessive manipulation can create sharp contours, stiffness, irregularity, or overcorrection.
• Hybrid otoplasty — Surgeons often combine sutures with limited cartilage scoring or conchal procedures. A 2026 systematic review reported lower recurrence and reoperation proportions in some hybrid groups, but 19 of its 22 studies were retrospective and none were randomized trials; it does not identify one best technique for every ear.
• Incisionless or percutaneous otoplasty — Sutures pass through small punctures rather than a full posterior incision. This can fit flexible cartilage in carefully selected ears, but recurrence and suture complications remain possible. A reported Korean closed cartilage-preserving method involved only two adult patients, which is not evidence of broad superiority.
• Revision or reconstructive otoplasty — Scarred ears, congenital deformities, traumatic tissue loss, prior cartilage removal, and failed primary surgery require an individualized reconstructive plan rather than routine ear pinning.

Why Visit Korea for Otoplasty?

Korea has an established system for receiving international patients, including plastic-surgery services. Otoplasty still requires surgeon-specific assessment: official national reporting does not provide Korean otoplasty case volume, complication rates, revisions, or comparative outcomes.

• International-patient infrastructure — Medical Korea reports approximately 1.17 million foreign patients in 2024. This demonstrates substantial international-care activity, but the data are aggregated and do not prove otoplasty-specific experience or outcomes.
• Access to different operative approaches — International patients can discuss cartilage-sparing, cartilage-scoring, hybrid, incisionless, revision, and reconstructive approaches. Ask the named surgeon to explain why the proposed method fits cartilage flexibility, conchal projection, lobule position, and baseline asymmetry.
• Evidence-informed technique discussion — Comparative research supports anatomy-based planning over marketing claims. The current literature remains heterogeneous and largely retrospective, as detailed in the surgical-technique evidence review.
• Records for cross-border follow-up — Before departure, request an English operative report, anesthesia record, medication list, suture or implant-material details where relevant, dated photographs, written aftercare instructions, and an after-hours contact route.

Key Information for International Patients

• Minimum stay — Plan 10–14 days in Korea. This allows an in-person examination, surgery, early dressing and wound review, nonabsorbable-suture removal when used, and assessment for hematoma, infection, or pressure problems before a long-haul flight.
• Flight timing — No otoplasty-specific study establishes a universal safe interval for flying. Obtain written clearance from the operating surgeon after the early review; do not book a non-changeable departure immediately after surgery.
• Early itinerary impact — Keep the first week quiet. Swelling, soreness, bruising, tightness, and temporary numbness are common, while a dressing can limit comfort and make sightseeing, luggage handling, and crowded transport impractical.
• Work and activity — Many people return to desk work or school at about 1 week, but avoid gym training, swimming, contact sports, helmets, over-ear headphones, tight headwear, and anything that can fold or strike the ears until cleared.
• Companion and transport — Arrange a responsible adult for the first night after sedation or general anesthesia. Do not drive, travel alone while sedated, or carry heavy luggage while taking prescription pain medicine.
• Remote follow-up — Agree on scheduled photo or video checks before surgery, including who to contact after hours and how a local doctor can obtain records if a complication develops at home.

Travel note: A final local review around days 7–14 is useful only when healing is uncomplicated. It does not replace individualized clearance for long-haul travel.

Which Are the Best Clinics in Korea for Otoplasty?

Listed below are some of the best clinics in Korea for otoplasty.

1. StarBe Plastic Surgery

You may consider StarBe Plastic Surgery if you value an aesthetic practice that describes a focus on patient safety and natural-looking results tailored to your individual facial features; however, the provided information does not specifically list otoplasty, so you should confirm whether ear reshaping is offered and which techniques are appropriate for your goals.

• URL: StarBe Plastic Surgery Website
• Location: Busanjin-gu, Busan
• Related facial-surgery services:
  • Offers customized nose surgery designed to harmonize with your facial features.
  • Provides facial lifting surgery and endoscopic brow lift procedures.
  • Offers double-eyelid surgery, minimal-incision eyelid correction, and eyelid re-operation.
• Scar-related care:
  • Lists a scar treatment system that may include laser treatments, silicone sheets, and other tailored approaches.
  • Lists keloid treatment options, including corticosteroid injections, laser therapy, and surgical removal.

2. Byun Jin-seok Plastic Surgery Clinic

You may consider Byun Jin-seok Plastic Surgery Clinic if you are looking for a clinic that lists surgical facial reshaping procedures such as rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, chin augmentation, and facelift surgery, with a stated focus on safety and satisfaction; otoplasty is not specifically included in the provided services, so confirm availability, candidacy, and the planned approach for your ears before proceeding.

• URL: Byun Jin-seok Plastic Surgery Clinic Website
• Location: Jung-gu, Daegu
• Facial surgery services:
  • Lists rhinoplasty for aesthetic reshaping or functional changes to the nose.
  • Offers eyelid surgery involving the upper and/or lower eyelids.
  • Lists facelift surgery and chin augmentation to address facial and profile contour.
• Other available treatments:
  • Provides body-contouring procedures including liposuction and abdominoplasty.
  • Lists Botox and dermal fillers among its non-surgical procedures.

3. MANO Plastic Surgery Clinic

You may consider MANO Plastic Surgery Clinic for otoplasty because it specifically lists corrective ear surgery for protruding, lop, elf, and folded ears, including procedures intended to adjust ear shape or position and address asymmetry in relation to your facial structure.

• URL: MANO Plastic Surgery Clinic Website
• Location: Seocho-gu, Seoul
• Ear surgery:
  • Lists corrective ear surgery for lop ears, protruding ears, elf ears, and folded ears.
  • Describes procedures that can pin back protruding ears or help match asymmetrical ears.
  • Offers earlobe reduction and augmentation to adjust earlobe size and proportion.
• Facial-balance services:
  • Offers facial contouring procedures including zygoma reduction, mandible-angle reduction, and chin surgery.
  • Lists nose procedures for concerns such as a long, hump, bulbous, short, or crooked nose, as well as nasal bridge, tip, and alar-base refinement.
  • Provides eye procedures including blepharoplasty, lower-eyelid fat repositioning, double-eyelid surgery, and canthoplasty.
• Skin treatments:
  • Lists laser treatments for pigmentation, scars, and signs of aging.
  • Offers thread lifting as a minimally invasive option for lifting and tightening sagging skin.

Otoplasty From Start to Finish

1. Photo or video screening — Send clear front, back, and oblique photographs with hair away from both ears. Discuss goals, prior surgery or trauma, keloid history, ear disease, allergies, nicotine use, medicines, and whether correction is for prominent ears, asymmetry, or a structural deformity. Confirm English-language communication or interpretation and obtain the proposed technique and anesthesia plan in writing.
2. Travel and follow-up planning — Schedule enough time for surgery, dressing review, possible suture removal, and flight clearance. Confirm the named operating surgeon, after-hours contact details, accommodation close enough for early review, and the plan for photo/video follow-up after returning home.
3. In-person consultation and consent — The surgeon examines ear measurements, cartilage thickness and flexibility, antihelical fold, conchal projection, lobule prominence, skin quality, and pre-existing asymmetry. They should explain that the target is balanced, natural-looking ears—not identical ears or a guaranteed setback angle.
4. Preoperative assessment — Testing depends on age, medical history, and anesthetic plan. Healthy people having a brief local-anesthetic operation generally need less testing than patients receiving sedation or general anesthesia; disclose all prescriptions, supplements, bleeding history, and anesthesia reactions.
5. Anesthesia and surgery — Otoplasty is usually outpatient and commonly takes about 1–3 hours. Local anesthesia, sedation, or general anesthesia is selected according to age, anxiety, procedure complexity, and surgeon judgment. Through a posterior or fold-based incision, or selected small punctures, the surgeon reshapes and repositions cartilage and soft tissue, then applies a protective dressing.
6. Discharge and first night — Expect pressure, tightness, soreness, swelling, and altered sensation. Leave with approved pain medicines, dressing instructions, emergency contact details, and a companion when sedation or general anesthesia was used.
7. Early postoperative review — Dressing removal can occur from the next day to about 1 week, depending on technique. Nonabsorbable skin sutures, if used, are commonly removed around the first postoperative week. The surgeon checks for hematoma, infection, skin pressure injury, wound problems, and excessive tension.
8. Home recovery and remote review — A lighter headband may be prescribed full-time or only at night for a technique-specific period. Send photographs at agreed intervals, retain all records, and contact the Korean clinic promptly if pain, swelling, drainage, or ear shape changes unexpectedly.

Alternatives to Otoplasty

The main tradeoff is structural change versus avoiding surgery. Otoplasty permanently reshapes or repositions outer-ear cartilage but brings incision care, trauma restrictions, and surgical risks; nonoperative camouflage does not change cartilage anatomy.

Observation or cosmetic camouflage

• Best for — Mild concern, uncertainty about surgery, or people who prefer no procedural risk.
• Tradeoff — Hairstyling and cosmetic camouflage can alter appearance in photographs or daily life but do not correct ear projection, cartilage shape, or asymmetry.

Infant ear molding

• Best for — Selected newborns with congenital auricular deformities while neonatal cartilage remains temporarily pliable.
• Tradeoff — This is time-sensitive and is not a treatment for typical prominent ears in adults or older children. A systematic review and meta-analysis included 1,727 ears, but protocols and outcome reporting varied across studies.

Incisionless correction

• Best for — Selected ears with flexible cartilage where a surgeon considers percutaneous suturing appropriate.
• Tradeoff — It remains a surgical ear-shaping procedure, not simple nonsurgical care. Small punctures reduce incision length, but suture-related complications and recurrence remain possible.

Reconstructive ear surgery

• Best for — Major congenital absence, severe constriction, traumatic tissue loss, tumor-resection defects, or scar contracture.
• Tradeoff — Reconstruction addresses missing or significantly deformed tissue rather than routine prominent-ear projection and often requires a more complex, staged plan.

How Can I Prepare for Otoplasty?

• Medical disclosure — Provide the surgeon with prior ear surgery, trauma, piercings, chronic ear disease, eczema or dermatitis, allergies, keloid history, diabetes, cardiopulmonary conditions, bleeding history, and prior anesthesia reactions. Send unfiltered photographs before travel, but complete the final decision only after in-person examination.
• Blood-thinning medicines and supplements — Disclose anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs, aspirin, NSAIDs, vitamin E, fish oil, herbal products, and other supplements that affect bleeding. Do not stop essential prescribed medication independently; the surgeon and prescribing clinician must set an individualized plan.
• Nicotine and alcohol — Stop cigarettes, vaping, nicotine pouches, patches, and gum for the period required by the surgeon. Avoid alcohol for the clinic-specified preoperative period because it can affect bleeding, dehydration, and anesthesia planning.
• Ear and skin health — Report pain, discharge, rash, infected eczema, wounds, acne-like lesions, or recent piercings near the ears before travel. Elective surgery must wait until active infection or skin inflammation has been treated and healed.
• Fasting and medications on surgery day — Follow the clinic’s exact fasting instructions when sedation or general anesthesia is planned. Take only medicines the anesthetic and surgical teams approve, with the permitted amount of water.
• Clothing and hair — Wear a loose, front-opening shirt or zip-up top so nothing pulls over the ears after surgery. Ask before using hair dye, styling products, earrings, or topical products close to the operative area.
• Travel logistics — Book flexible flights, plan 10–14 days in Korea, arrange a companion for the first night when sedation or general anesthesia is used, and choose accommodation that supports quiet recovery and easy return visits.

Travel note: Do not combine procedures merely to shorten a trip. Additional anesthesia, recovery demands, and follow-up needs must be appropriate for the planned otoplasty.

Confirm the treating clinic’s medication-stop periods, fasting rules, nicotine policy, testing requirements, and postoperative appointment schedule; individualized instructions take precedence over general guidance.

Aftercare Advice

Protect the ears from pressure, bending, trauma, and infection throughout early healing; a comfortable appearance does not mean cartilage and wounds are ready for normal activity.

• Dressing and headband — Keep the initial dressing clean and dry and do not loosen, remove, or replace it unless instructed. A lighter headband may be required full-time or only at night after dressing removal. Published evidence does not establish one best bandage or headband duration, so follow the operating surgeon’s technique-specific plan.
• Sleep and clothing — Sleep on the back with the head elevated if instructed. Avoid side sleeping, pulling tops over the head, and any pressure that folds the ears.
• Activity and heat — Avoid strenuous exercise, bending the ears, hot baths, saunas, swimming, contact sports, helmets, over-ear headphones, and tight headwear until the surgeon clears them. Return to desk work or school is often possible at about 1 week, but the ears remain vulnerable for longer.
• Incision care and sun protection — Use only the approved cleansing and topical regimen. Once incisions are fully healed, protect scars from sun with clothing or broad-spectrum SPF 50 sunscreen; ask the surgeon before applying sunscreen directly over a healing incision.
• Warning signs — Contact the clinic urgently for rapidly increasing pain or one-sided swelling, a tight or displaced dressing, active bleeding, fever, spreading redness, foul drainage, wound opening, dark or pale skin changes, or sudden change in ear contour. Hematoma and infection need prompt assessment.
• Result timing and review — Early swelling and numbness improve over weeks, while scar maturation and the settled contour continue for months. Keep scheduled in-person and remote reviews; pooled study estimates for cartilage-sparing otoplasty include 4.27% recurrence/reoperation and 1.34% hematoma/hemorrhage, but these are not an individual forecast because anatomy, technique, follow-up, and outcome definitions differed.

Follow the treating doctor’s instructions over general advice, and contact the clinic promptly whenever healing appears abnormal.