The prominence of the ears is determined aesthetically by how much it sticks out from the side of the head. Known as the auriculocephalic angle, it is the angular measurement that the ear is situated from the scalp. The normal angle is somewhere between 20 and 30 degrees and is measured on the back of the ear. When the ear sticks out too far, its angle is definitely greater than 30 degrees. Otoplasty, or the pinning of the ears back, is designed to change an auriculocephalic angle that is too great and bring it back into the normal range. While these numbers provide a quantitative measurement as to what looks normal and abnormal for the ear, one can intuitively tell when the amount of ear protrusion is too much or just right.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana