The primary treatment for ear defects, including congenital microtia and partial or total ear loss due to trauma, is auricular reconstruction. There are many methods of auricular reconstruction, but the skin expansion method of autologous rib cartilage graft auricular reconstruction is the most mainstream, the most widely used and the most effective treatment, bar none. The most important question for many patients at the time of consultation is: What is the treatment process like? The skin expansion method of auricular reconstruction is divided into three phases. Phase I: postauricular expander placement, skin expansion; Phase II: expansion phase removal, expansion flap transfer, autologous rib cartilage taking, auricular reconstruction; Phase III: reconstructive ear trimming, ear screen shaping, and auricular cavity shaping. 1.When can I start treatment? Psychologically and physiologically, the earliest time to start treatment is around six years old, because psychologically speaking, children start to realize that they have ear problems at this time, and they start to be affected psychologically; physiologically speaking, at this time, children have reached more than 90% of the normal ear size of adults, and most of the rib cartilage development has also reached the level needed to reconstruct the ear. Specifically, the child needs to be about 120 cm tall. We will also perform a rib cartilage examination prior to surgery to make a relatively accurate determination. Note: Just because you are around six years old is the earliest time to start treatment, it does not mean that you have missed out on the surgery after that age. If you are not ready, you can be treated at seven, eight or even in your teens or twenties. 2. How much time will it take us to do this surgery? The first and second phases of treatment are consecutive, which means that skin expansion and auricular reconstruction are performed consecutively, taking a total of two and a half months. For example, Xiao Bin is a six-year-old boy who has been examined and is ready for surgery. His mother has decided to start treatment now, so what should his parents do? First, the family needs to prepare for two and a half months. If she is hospitalized on September 1, Xiao Bin’s mother will need to prepare a deposit of 10,000 yuan. After hospitalization, a routine pre-operative examination will be performed, and if there are no problems, the first phase of surgery will be scheduled on the 2nd and 3rd: the implantation of a posterior ear expander. The procedure is relatively simple and usually takes about half an hour. He will be discharged after three days of hospitalization, which means that he will be discharged on the 5th and 6th, and he will be able to start the dilator injection on the 9th and 10th. But after discharge, Xiao Bin has to come to the hospital three times a week for dilator injection, and each injection takes about three minutes. But because there are many patients, there is a queue, so the whole process takes about an hour. It usually takes 4-5 weeks from the start of water injection to the completion of water injection. For Xiaobin, the water injection will start on the 9th and 10th, and the water injection will be completed between 27 and October 3rd. After the water injection is completed, Xiaobin can recuperate for 3-4 weeks. Taking three weeks as an example, Xiaobin can recuperate on his own from September 27 to October 20, and there is no need to see a doctor. The second surgery can be scheduled on October 20. He will stay in the hospital for one week and have his stitches removed 2 weeks after the surgery. For Xiao-Bin, he will be admitted to the hospital on October 20, he can have the surgery on October 21, or 22, he can be discharged on the 26th or 27th, and the stitches can be removed on November 2-6. Normally, after the stitches are removed, he can go home and return to the hospital for a review a month later, around December 2nd, which normally takes at most 1 hour. After the above treatment, Xiao Bin then had his own auricle. But things didn’t quite end there. In six months, Xiao Bin will need to come back for the third stage of surgery: reconstructive ear revision surgery. For example, Xiao Bin can come back next June for the third stage of surgery. If Xiao Bin comes to the hospital on June 1 next year, he will be able to remove the stitches and go home around June 15, and then come back for another checkup around July 15, and the treatment will be finished. The above times are conventional calculations and will vary slightly depending on individual circumstances and queuing.