Causes of Ear Damage
Tuesday February 09, 2010
We tend to take our bodies for granted, at least until it stops working or suffers trauma. The outer ear for example is designed to direct sound waves towards the ear canal. Without the outer ear not only is the hearing impaired but also there is lack of support for such things as glasses or hearing aids,
Damage, disfigurement or deformities can cause psychological distress, behavior problems and other mental trauma.
The ear is a very distinctive part of the body, made up of folds, ridges and other features that are difficult to mimic without ear prosthesis. Reconstruction using body tissues is a challenging undertaking, especially if the ear has suffered significant trauma.
There are two reconstruction methods, autogenous ear reconstruction and prosthetics. Autogenous ear reconstruction uses the body tissue harvested from elsewhere to reconstruct the ear. This can take many surgeries and also be a lengthy process until the desired effect is achieved. Prosthetics involves making an artificial ear from medical silicone to closely match the remaining ear, and remain indistinguishable from it. This process can be achieved usually within a period of a few days.
Ear damage is caused by many things. Notably bites, burns, gunshots and a variety of other unlikely scenarios. Ear trauma is becoming more common for some reason, especially dog bites, which have attracted media interest whenever they occur. Despite not having a significant profile on our bodies, the ear seems to get itself involved in an inordinate amount of trauma.
The advent of airbags in vehicles is also contributing to ear damage as they explode alongside broken glass and cause injury to the side of the head. More social unrest at weekend, fights, glass injuries and other lacerations are also making their presence known.
In any emergency situation it is impossible to completely repair major ear trauma. Invariably, the site has to be left to heal, then restorative surgery applied later to address the disfigurement.
Burn trauma has to be left to heal, as often the skin and cartilage left behind is stiff and inflamed. Reconstruction is problematic due to scarring and is usually not an option for the patient.
Both autogenous ear reconstruction and ear prosthetics have their place in ear reconstruction. Which method is most suitable in each case has to be decided by the surgeon once the healed tissue is examined.
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Damage, disfigurement or deformities can cause psychological distress, behavior problems and other mental trauma.
The ear is a very distinctive part of the body, made up of folds, ridges and other features that are difficult to mimic without ear prosthesis. Reconstruction using body tissues is a challenging undertaking, especially if the ear has suffered significant trauma.
There are two reconstruction methods, autogenous ear reconstruction and prosthetics. Autogenous ear reconstruction uses the body tissue harvested from elsewhere to reconstruct the ear. This can take many surgeries and also be a lengthy process until the desired effect is achieved. Prosthetics involves making an artificial ear from medical silicone to closely match the remaining ear, and remain indistinguishable from it. This process can be achieved usually within a period of a few days.
Ear damage is caused by many things. Notably bites, burns, gunshots and a variety of other unlikely scenarios. Ear trauma is becoming more common for some reason, especially dog bites, which have attracted media interest whenever they occur. Despite not having a significant profile on our bodies, the ear seems to get itself involved in an inordinate amount of trauma.
The advent of airbags in vehicles is also contributing to ear damage as they explode alongside broken glass and cause injury to the side of the head. More social unrest at weekend, fights, glass injuries and other lacerations are also making their presence known.
In any emergency situation it is impossible to completely repair major ear trauma. Invariably, the site has to be left to heal, then restorative surgery applied later to address the disfigurement.
Burn trauma has to be left to heal, as often the skin and cartilage left behind is stiff and inflamed. Reconstruction is problematic due to scarring and is usually not an option for the patient.
Both autogenous ear reconstruction and ear prosthetics have their place in ear reconstruction. Which method is most suitable in each case has to be decided by the surgeon once the healed tissue is examined.