So in regards to his left outer ear, we have 4 options. The first one is of course do nothing. Second is prosthesis. A third option is rib graft surgery which is done at age 6 or 12 depending on the doctor and the technique used. The forth option is surgery with a medpor implant. All options are good options, not one option is better then another just different. Important factor is when deciding on surgery is to go with a doctor who is very experienced in this surgery. I asked each of our local plastic surgeons who they would go to if it were their child it helps to know who other surgeons think are the best. Rib graft is the surgery most commonly used, many surgeons are not familiar with medpor so they will not recommend it since it is relatively new like the past 15 plus years.
I bring up the part about medpor because that is our choice for Trey. For us medpor can be done at age 3, I personally like the medpor ears over rib graft. I also like that it is not as invasive as rib graft since they do not use the childs rib cartilage. We were opting for prosthesis but we didn't like that the color fads in time and it has to be replaced every 2-3 years. I know of families who have chosed each of the choices and they chose what is best for them and their child. Some wait until the child can make the choice and others make the choice for their child, it all depends on what factors are important to you and only you. That is actually what makes this all hard, there are no right or wrong choices, each has pros and cons. We have no crystal ball so we go with what we know at the time.
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