We all adore the appearance of our newborn babies. If we’re fortunate, we note right away that everything is in place: 10 toes, 10 fingers, hair and eye color, etc. Sometimes we notice something odd about the baby’s ears. In this case, the top of one or both ears is folded over, such as these below:
The ears above reflect various external ear deformities or abnormalities that are generally simple to fix, either with time or with an external ear remodeling device like EarWell®. You’ll be surprised to know how quickly your little one’s ears can be brought to a normal appearance and that it doesn’t involve ear surgery, pinning or discomfort to your baby. Furthermore, most EarWell treatments are covered entirely by health insurance, including military insurance and public insurance, such as Medicaid.
Read this blog post for details about these common ear abnormalities and rest assured, they can be changed with EarWell.
Common “Folded” Ear Abnormalities in Newborns
The variations listed below are generally harmless and common ear variations that may improve as your baby grows or through the application of EarWell.
Lidding or Lop Ear Abnormality
Lidding happens when the upper portion of the ear is folded over.
Cup Ear Abnormality
Cup Ear is characterized by a constriction of the upper third of the ear, which is called the upper helical rim. Often, the ear appears wrinkled, rolled or folded over.
What Causes Folded Ears?
Folded ear abnormalities can happen for a variety of reasons, such as the position of the baby in the womb. It can also be caused by genetics—it runs in the family. Very rarely, unusual ear shape can be part and parcel of other genetic conditions, especially if there are other physical findings or signs of hearing loss.
Some of the ear variations above will resolve themselves as your baby grows. Some will not. The challenge is in knowing which is which, and why we recommend that you connect with an EarWell provider, who is a physician fully trained to recognize variations that (A) are unlikely to change on their own and (B) can painlessly and rapidly be fixed with the EarWell.
A qualified EarWell physician, specifically trained in both identifying the various external ear deformities and in understanding how EarWell can change the shape of your baby’s ears, is the appropriate doctor to evaluate your concerns about your baby’s ears.
Solutions for Newborn Ear Abnormalities
There are several solutions for babies with external ear abnormalities.
Hope It Resolves with Time
Lop ear and cup ear external ear abnormalities can sometimes resolve with time—particularly those caused by a baby’s position in the womb. Immediately after birth until about the 6th week of life, your baby has a store of maternal estrogen, so the ears are pliable. Because of this, any changes to these external ear differences will likely happen in those first six weeks.
The challenge is this: it’s impossible to identify immediately after birth what will resolve with time and what won’t.
If you wait it out and changes do not happen, your baby will either grow up with that external ear abnormality, or you will decide to pay a plastic surgeon to fix the ears when your baby is school-aged. In the meantime, the child might be exposed to teasing or bullying by other children if the ear abnormality is pronounced. Unfortunately, this can affect a child’s tender self-esteem and may having a lasting effect on them. Some children can brush off this kind of teasing, and some can’t—we’re all made a little differently, aren’t we?
EarWell is The Best Known & Most Effective Non-Surgical Ear Deformity Solution
EarWell was created by a plastic surgeon in Texas several decades ago and has been applied to the ears of countless babies all over the world, and 98% of those babies now have perfect ears. There is no pain, no injections, no surgery, nothing that pierces the skin on or around the ears. It’s applied in the EarWell provider’s office in less than an hour, changed out about every two weeks (baby’s skin shedding and hair growth necessitates a new one every couple of weeks), and the entire process is usually completed within 6-8 weeks. Your baby won’t even notice it.
There is A Time Element with Ear Molding with EarWell
Remember learning above that your baby’s ears are very pliable during the first six weeks of life due to the stored estrogen in his or her system? For this reason, EarWell must be applied as soon after birth as possible—preferably within the first 3 weeks.
Two Added Benefits of EarWell
- You won’t have to guess whether your little one’s external ear abnormality is treatable: the EarWell provider will know.
- Your health insurance is likely to cover it, including military health insurance and public insurance (i.e., Medicaid).
Ear Surgery Is the Third Option for Misshapen Ears
A child can have external ear surgery around the age of 6 or 7, when the ears have reached near full growth. It’s a quick procedure but it does involve invasive surgery, dressings and recovery time. Oh, and money. Insurance won’t cover an otoplasty because it’s deemed cosmetic.
We hope this blog post has been informative. You can visit our EarWell Physician Page to find a specially trained EarWell physician near you. If you have more concerns or can’t find one, call us at 630-357-7374. EarWell is our only focus: to enable all babies to grow up with perfectly beautiful ears!