Australian schools are among those with the highest rate of bullying in the world, with one in four school students being a victim of bullying.
Children with physical differences even as minor as protruding ears, can attract bullying, which as a result can have a tremendously negative impact on their self-esteem. However, a simple procedure could stop these children from carrying a psychological and emotional burden for the rest of their life, if they have been bullied .
Eight-year-old Moses recently underwent a no-incision ear correction procedure (otoplasty) to put playground bullying to an end.
“My ears were sticking out and the kids at school would make fun of me. I didn’t want to be teased anymore,” says Moses.
Moses’ parents Katherine and Steven said they had considered surgery early because they feared bullying could have an emotional impact that lasted throughout his life.
“Moses would come home from school with really red ears because the kids would be pulling them and twisting them. There was also a lot of name calling and teasing, which was really distressing for him – and for us. It was so awful seeing him go through that,” says Katherine.
“Moses continued to go to school every day, but I knew what was going on and that he was very upset. He is a very proud child, but we could see the effect the bullying was having on him. It was slowly chipping away at his confidence.”
After considering plastic surgery, the family decided to opt for a no-incision otoplasty procedure instead, at the hands of Sydney cosmetic doctor, Dr Longin Zurek. Moses’ older brother Sol, who is 13, also underwent the procedure at the same time.
‘The main reason that influenced us to choose Dr Zurek’s no incision technique, rather than plastic surgery was simple – the kids wouldn’t have to undergo invasive surgery. The downtime would have been much longer and I didn’t want the boys to miss school and for Sol to miss cricket, as it was his representative season,”says Steven.
“We were also already impressed by Dr Zurek’s otoplasty results – when I was in the waiting room at Dr Zurek’s office I got chatting to a guy, who was actually quite handsome, and he had recently undergone a no-incision otoplasty procedure. The results looked amazing.”
The otoplasty procedure is relatively simple and is positively life changing for young children.
“If we hadn’t undergone the procedure I think it would have really affected him going through high school. My husband predicted this would happen, so we had thought about undergoing the procedure before. However, we are happy that Moses was old enough to understand he was being bullied and could participate in the decision for surgery,” says Katherine.
Pleasing and permanent results have been achieved with the no-incision technique. Dr Zurek says patients appreciate the relative simplicity of the procedure: no dressings, minimal swelling and discomfort, as well as a short down time.
“Since the otoplasty the bullying has stopped. Moses made a special announcement to his class after the procedure to explain that he had his ears corrected and that the children had to be very careful.”
“I would say it is definitely better to have the procedure at an earlier age as opposed to later on – to stop the bullying as quick as possible. Sol was very self-conscious throughout school about his ears, so it would have probably been better for him the have the procedure done earlier,” says Katherine.
“I highly recommend this procedure and I would certainly recommend Dr Zurek for his understanding and kind nature – he made everything so easy and smooth – you don’t need to think twice or hesitate.”
While in an ideal world children would not be bullied, we know all too well that it can happen and this simple procedure is making an instrumental difference in the life of a child.
“I feel good now they’re fixed, the kids don’t pull them or call me names anymore,” says Moses.
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