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When a child is born with a condition called microtia, it is a condition that is related to the ears. The ears of a child with this have not fully developed, and this often leads to deformities that require surgery. When this occurs, the inner part is usually fine, but not always. It is strictly the middle and outer parts that have not developed properly. The middle part of the ear is a necessity because it is used to transmit sound waves between the brain and the inner ear. The outer part is necessary because this is what is seen. This condition is not extremely common, but it is more common among Asians and Hispanics. It is also slightly more common to occur in boys compared to girls. The exact type of problem and severity of it varies among children that are born with microtia. With this condition, there are four grades. 1. Grade 1: Grade 1 consists of minor deformities. This usually amounts to the person having ears, but they are smaller than what they should be. 2. Grade 2: This grade is also minor in most cases, but it can lead to hearing loss because the ear canal is closed off. 3. Grade 3: When a child is born with this grade, there are only very small traces of ears. There is no ear canal or ear drum. 4. Grade 4: A person that is Grade 4 literally has no ears. Generally a doctor will immediately decide to do something about this problem. Deciding what to do often starts with a hearing test. The doctor must determine the level of the child's hearing before he decides what he will do. The level of hearing will help determine the best method to take. Most of the time, the doctor will not perform any type of cosmetic procedure right away. It is best to wait to do this until the child is older, and then the doctor might decide that ear reconstruction surgery will be helpful. Doctors can actually make ears for the child out of skin off of the child. This is something that is not recommended until the child is at least 10 years old though. Another choice that doctors might suggest is a prosthetic ear. This is a type of ear made from silicone, and they often look very real. They must be implanted into the child's head, and this often requires using screws. If your child is born with microtia, it may be hard for you to know how to handle this. As the child grows up, this can be something that can really bother the child. The child may have to live with this until the age of 5 or older, and this can be very difficult for him and for you. It is always important to try to praise your child often to build his self-esteem. This is one of the best things you can do while you wait for him to be old enough to have reconstructive surgery done. Microtia may seem like a distressing condition initially, but it's very easy to fix by the staff at Mark Mitchell Jones M.D. so your child can go on to live a life that makes them happy. Find out more at http://www.atlantaear.com.
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