EarBuddies were invented in 1990 by Plastic Surgeon David Gault FRCS, one of the world’s leading experts on reconstructive surgery of the outer ear, to treat his newborn son. EarBuddies are designed to be fitted at home by parents, and are also used in some of the most eminent children’s hospitals worldwide, including the NHS (UK), Mayo Clinic (USA), The Portland Hospital (London), and Boston Children’s Hospital (Harvard).
By treating babies early and avoiding surgery, EarBuddies provide better results, without risk, at lower cost, and avoid the bullying and psychological trauma that usually leads to surgery. Almost thirty years after EarBuddies were first developed, it is the world’s best selling Early Ear Correction™ system, and has helped thousands of babies to grow up comfortable and confident with their ears.
Stick-out ears like Santi's can make life miserable and lead to "reduced quality of life & self-esteem, social avoidance and poor performance in school." Children and adults are often teased and while names like 'Dumbo, Big Ears, Yoda, Spock & Wing Nut' can be meant in jest, they can have a deeper psychological impact.
Once, corrective ear surgery (Otoplasty/ Pinnaplasty) was the only option, costing up to £5000 for the average UK paediatric case. General anaesthesia and time off school or work are usually needed, and while post-op pain can be managed*, complication rates e.g. scarring can be as high as 10%.*
Now there's an ingenious way to fix your baby's ear problems before they are aware of them, avoiding the emotional impact of bullying & teasing, and the costs & complications of surgery. EarBuddies splints reshape the soft cartilage of baby's ears, resulting in a permanent, surgery-free correction.
We think of it like fitting braces to a child’s teeth, only more affordable and quicker. Newborn babies can get great results in just 2 weeks. If your baby is older, this can take longer. Santi was 5 months old when his mother fitted EarBuddies. 4 weeks later, he can grow up comfortable and confident with his ears.
“Our daughter was born with mild prominent ears. Many family members commented on this and our fears of how this would impact her socially in the future began to increase. We found out about EarBuddies at 1 month old and started the process.
Just four weeks later, we are finished and beyond happy with her outcome, and the fact that we can avoid the potential need for more invasive procedures to correct her ears when she is older. Thank you!”
Read Courtney's full story here!“When Molly was born and handed to me, the first thing I saw was an extra fold of cartilage in her ear as my husband brought her towards me. This turned out to be a conchal crus. At her 2 week Pediatrician appointment, I brought it up to our doctor who referred us to an ENT specialist. He recommended we order EarBuddies. When it arrived, he helped us shape the splint and Molly wore it for 2 short weeks. We were planning to just change the tape after 2 weeks and re-apply it, only to find that her ear already looked perfect! We did not even have to put it back on.
We are very impressed with the ease of using EarBuddies and the great results in such a short time. Our daughter will be able to comfortably wear in-ear headphones one day and never have to be self conscious of her ear. Thank you, EarBuddies!”
Read Stephanie & Matt Story here“When my son was born, I noticed he had Stick-Out Ears that were getting worse as he got older. I was worried that they would not work and I had left it too late because my son was already 8.5 months old when I fitted the EarBuddies. He wore the EarBuddies 24/7 for just over 5 months. They are now within the normal range and you wouldn’t notice his ears any more, which is what I wanted.
I am so pleased with the results. For a very small cost (relative to surgery), I have saved him from potential bullying and self-esteem issues. I wish more people, particularly doctors, knew about EarBuddies and could recommend them to parents when their babies are young. It’s such a simple solution. Thank you EarBuddies!”
Read Danielle's Story hereAt least 5% of people have abnormally shaped or Stick-Out ears. Stick-Out ears are the most common ear deformity, and around 2% of babies develop Stick-Out ears in the first 6 months of life. EarBuddies can be fitted by parents at home in under 20 minutes. An independent study at the Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow in 2012 showed a 78% success rate in newborns when splints are fitted by parents, with 73% rating ease of use as 'easy' or 'incredibly easy'. With early splintage and dedication, fantastic results continue to be achieved by parents at home.
When your baby is born, the cartilage framework of the ears is extremely soft because of Mum’s hormones. Some squashing of the ears is natural at birth, but if the ears remain an odd shape after 48 hours, or if they start to stick out, this will quite quickly become permanent as the cartilage hardens. EarBuddies splints re-mould the cartilage folds in a baby's ears to restore the natural curves and hold the ear close to the side of the head so that when the framework hardens in the controlled shape, there is a permanent, surgery-free correction.
While the majority of EarBuddies™ are fitted by parents at home, when professionally fitted and the treatment supervised, success rates rise to up to 92%, even in older babies or those with difficult ear problems.
Professional fitting combines the surgery-free, permanent correction of EarBuddies™ with the clinical experience of trained fitters. Choose amongst our global network of EarBuddies™ Professionals.