Can the Elastic of Surgical Face Masks Stimulate Ear Protrusion in Children?
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Can the Elastic of Surgical Face Masks Stimulate Ear Protrusion in Children? Bruno Zanotti1 • Pier Camillo Parodi2 • Michele Riccio3 • Francesco De Francesco3 Nicola Zingaretti2
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Received: 3 June 2020 / Accepted: 4 June 2020 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature and International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2020
Abstract In this period of the Covid-19 pandemic, a protective mask has become a common object of use to contain virus transmission. The imminent need for masks has led many governments to produce them, including surgical masks with elastic loops or masks with side cuts at the ears. Among those on the market, surgical masks with elastic loops are the ones most chosen by parents for their children. These elastics cause constant compression on the skin and, consequently, on the cartilage of the auricle, leading to erythematous and painful lesions of the retroauricular skin when the masks are used for many hours a day. Pre-adolescent children have undeveloped auricular cartilage with less resistance to deformation; prolonged pressure from the elastic loops of the mask at the hollow or, even worse, at the anthelix level can influence the correct growth and angulation of the outer ear. In fact, unlike when using conservative methods for the treatment of protruding ears, this prolonged pressure can increase the cephaloauricular angle of the outer auricle. It is important for the authorities supplying the masks to be aware of this potential risk and for alternative solutions to be found while maintaining the possibility of legitimate prevention of the potential spread of the virus.
& Nicola Zingaretti [email protected] 1
Department of Neurosurgery, Ospedale Carlo Poma, Mantova, Italy
2
Clinic of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Medical Area (DAME), Academic Hospital of Udine, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
3
Department of Plastic Reconstructive Surgery and Hand Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti, Ancona, Italy
Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these evidence-based medicine ratings, please refer to the table of contents or the online instructions to authors www.springer.com/00266. Keyword Ear protrusion External ear Surgical face mask Infant Covid-19
Dear Sir, We read with interest the article by Ors [1] on prominent ear deformities and its recurrence rate. This article gives us the opportunity to better understand the effectiveness of nonsurgical options for the treatment of ear anomalies in young patients (5–14 years). The current COVID-19 pandemic has imposed the worldwide use of masks in addition to social distancing. The use of masks applies to everyone, even children, certainly if over the age of 5–6 years. The masks distributed to the population by government bodies are of various types, both as regards to their shape and the systems for fastening them to the head, but, basically, they are divid
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