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Dr. Merck’s stitch method You can find additional information in our ear forum. We operate according to a new method developed by Dr. Merck, “Dr. Merck's stitch method”. Dr. Merck himself and a team of qualified doctors, personally selected and trained by him, perform these operations. Dr. Merck is a specialist in ENT (Ear-Nose-Throat) and plastic surgery procedures. Up until June 30, 2003, he was Director of the Department for ENT and Plastic Surgery at the Konstanz Clinic in Germany. Due to the continuously great demand for otoplasty procedures using the innovative stitch method he had developed, Dr. Merck decided to devote himself entirely to these procedures. Dr. Merck has been practicing his stitch method since 1995, first announcing it publicly in the year 2000. Since then, it has been widely accepted by his patients and the media. In the meantime, he has successfully corrected more than 5000 ears, a number that no other doctor in the world can match. While most doctors and cosmetic surgery clinics offer ear correction as a “side offer” in addition to other surgeries such as facelifts, breast corrections, and liposuction - Dr. Merck’s ear clinics specialise in otoplasty procedures only, carrying them out according to the “Dr. Merck stitch method”. This specialization guarantees the patient safe treatment and optimal procedure results. Recently, other doctors have stepped forward to claim that they too have been performing otoplasty with the stitch method. They are, however, in fact, operating following the old Mustardé method. It should be noted that the “Merck stitch method” has n o t h i n g to do with the Mustardé stitch method. The Mustardé operation method is an open intervention during which a large incision is made and most of the ear cartilage is exposed. Skin is often removed and stitches are then used to create the new position of the auricle. “Dr. Merck’s stitch method” is, by contrast, a closed, minimally-invasive method with no incision and no exposure of cartilage. The only wounds are small stitch-points which heal after just a few days. There are some doctors using the term "stitch method" on the Internet despite the fact that they do not operate using to the Dr. Merck stitch method. Please make sure that your operation is according to the Dr. Merck stitch method or, if in doubt, contact us directly. For children, it is best to have this operation before they start school. It is, however, possible to have the operation at any age. The oldest male patient thus far was 86, the oldest female patient 74. With this method, nearly any protruding ear, regardless of the thickness of the cartilage or the size of the ear, can be corrected. In the procedure, a non-absorbable prolene thread is sunk invisibly under the skin using a small stitch. With this stitch, a fold of the auricle, called the antihelix, is reshaped into its natural form and the protruding ear falls automatically into the correct position. As this tiny stitch point is the only incision, there are (in contrast to the usual methods) no scars left on the ear. Beautiful, particularly natural-looking auricles can be formed this way. With the Dr. Merck method, and in contrast to other operating methods, it is impossible to tell that the ear once protruded and has been corrected. All the usual signs of an operation are missing. The patient also spares him- or herself the usual risks of the traditional operative methods, which include danger of infection, effusions of blood, lasting pain and bandages, cosmetically-unsatisfactory corners with depressions, uneven surfaces, and unnatural formations of the auricle. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis. For children younger than 11, the procedure is performed under general anaesthesia. On children older than 12 and adults, local anaesthesia is used. A true innovation is that during the operation, every patient may not only check but also actually help determine the position of their ears using a hand-held mirror. The patient goes home immediately after the operation, without bandages. Children no longer need to miss school, adults can go back to work the next day. People who have ears which not only protrude but are also extremely large sometimes ask that the size of their ears be reduced in the same session as the otoplasty. It has become clear, however, that such a reduction is not necessary because a corrected protruding ear appears to be much smaller. Summary of the Merck Stitch Method
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