EarWell®: The NonSurgical Option For Infants With Ear Deformities

Like all parents, you have high hopes and dreams for your brand new baby, including health, happiness, and love. So if you notice that your baby’s ear looks underdeveloped or misshaped, you may be wondering if it will affect their hearing. You may also be worried that in later years, it may be the cause of bullying, teasing, and low self-esteem. 

Dr. Chelsea Snider at Vida Bela Plastic Surgery in Plano and Frisco, Texas, understands your concerns. She also knows that the thought of surgery on your little one to fix a misshapen ear might seem excessive. That’s why, for many patients, she recommends the revolutionary EarWell® System that can remold your baby’s ear comfortably and quickly with no need for surgery.

Why is my baby’s ear wonky?

If your baby was born with a lopsided or misshapen ear, they’re one of the nearly 30% of babies born with a similar condition every year. Of those, only about 30% improve over the child’s developmental years; the rest keep their folded, scrunched, or odd shape, and they may even get worse with time.

There are many types of infant ear deformities. Some are congenital, some are caused by underdevelopment, and some are caused by medical conditions. Not all can be treated with EarWell, but many can, including:

• Lop ear
• Cup ear
• Constricted ear
• Conchal Crus
• Stahl ear
• Satyr Ohr ear
• Shell ear
• Scaphoid ear
• Prominent ear

These are all conditions that result from underdeveloped or misshapen cartilage in the ear. The ear’s rim, caled the helix, may be folded over into a cupped shape or a tight roll. The good news is that if we treat your baby’s ears with the EarWell system within the first few weeks of life, there’s an excellent chance of resolving the problem quickly and painlessly. 

How EarWell works

The EarWell System offers a way to reshape your baby’s ear without surgery. The best time to do this is during the first week or so after they’re born because your baby still has mom’s estrogen running through their system, which helps make the ear cartilage malleable.

Dr. Snider can easily fit the comfortable silicone device over your baby’s ear right in our office. Her years of experience performing pediatric craniofacial surgery for children with congenital and acquired abnormalities is the reason parents throughout Texas trust their children to her care.

Once fitted, your baby’s developing ear molds to the structure of the EarWell device and takes on a new shape that will last a lifetime. Results are generally complete in a month or two.

Seeking early treatment for an outer ear deformity rather than waiting until they’re about 6-8 years old (typically when surgery is recommended), can save your child years of potential anguish and the pain and recovery from a surgical procedure.

If your infant has a different-looking ear, don’t wait, call us at 469-270-7666 right away to begin this simple, yet life-changing, treatment. Or request an appointment online with Dr. Snider to find out if your baby is a good candidate for EarWell.