NOLA Craniofacial is pleased to offer the EarWell™ Infant Ear Correction System for families in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Gulf Coast.
Each year, millions of babies are born with misshapen ears. Fortunately, the Earwell system now offers a painless, non-invasive treatment that can eliminate the need for surgery to correct ear deformities.
All babies are beautiful, but children can be cruel. They tease each other mercilessly, often targeting differences and deformities. As a result, these children are more likely to suffer low self-esteem, anxiety, social isolation and emotional withdrawal.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Indeed, it no longer makes sense to “wait and hope” that ear deformities will correct themselves (they most often don’t). If you have any concern regarding the shape of your child’s ear, contact us to set up a free consultation, because the earlier in a child’s life an ear deformity is addressed, the greater ease in correction.
An Opportunity to Correct Misshapen Ears
In the first six weeks postpartum, your new born baby will retain some of its mother’s hormones. Specifically, the presence of estrogen in an infant’s bloodstream means that its cartilage—including the pinna, or outer ear—remains extremely malleable.
Dr. Gerhard “Sol” Mundinger views this as a critical window of opportunity for children born with misshapen ears.
“The Earwell system is an opportunity for early intervention, allowing our young patients with cosmetic differences, including microtia, to avoid surgery or—at the very least—make eventual surgery less complicated.”
What Is EarWell and How Does it Work?
Many common ear deformities can be successfully treated with the EarWell Infant Ear Correction System, which is:
- Painless
- Non-surgical
- Noninvasive
If therapy via the EarWell system makes sense for your child, Dr. Sol Mundinger will fit a plastic conforming device that cradles the infant’s ear. Your child will need to wear the device 24 hours a day for 4 to 6 weeks, and weekly visits are required for monitoring.
“The protective covering isn’t burdensome at all,” Dr. Mundinger says. “Babies sleep with it just fine, hygiene is not an issue—it is okay to get the device wet, and parents can easily remove the protective outer covering for family photos.”
The EarWell system is covered by most insurance companies, and the results are superb. “We’ve been very pleased,” Dr. Mundinger concludes. “After a month or so, in most cases the child will have a more normally-shaped, perfectly adorable ear.”
