ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Knowledge of the postnatal growth of ear is decisive in determining the optimal time for ear reconstruction and planning the morphology of an artificial ear. However, basic population studies have not been carried out in Korea and the dynamics of ear growth and the age of maturation have not been clearly determined and established. The aim of this study was to establish the age of ear maturation and to help determine the optimal time of ear reconstruction for Koreans. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: From June 2000 through February 2001, we measured facial length and the 3 lengths of the auricle, i.e., length, width, the distance between the two insertion points of the auricle and facial length in 950 Korean subjects between the ages of 0 to 18. RESULTS: The auricle length reached 90% of its mature size at 14 years and width at 15 years. The distance between the two insertion points of the auricle was not significantly different in this study. CONCLUSION: The length and width of auricle reached 90% of the adult size at the age of 14 and 15, respectively. Therefore, when performing auriculoplasty, consideration should be given for auricle growth up to the age of 15 years.