How much does an otoplasty cost in Valencia? What the price includes and what moves it

At the Instituto de Cirugía Plástica del Mediterráneo, an otoplasty comes to between €2,400 and €3,900, an indicative range that is fixed after the assessment consultation, once it is clear which particular case is being treated.

That figure on its own is no use for comparing anything. What really distinguishes one quotation from another is what it contains: there are lower prices that leave out the anaesthetic, the materials or the reviews, and end up costing more. This page explains what ours includes, what moves the range and what to ask when you request another one.

The range and the factors that move it are also summarised in the otoplasty guide. What is developed here is what does not fit there: the breakdown, comparing quotations and finance.

What the price includes

This is what goes into the quotation you are given:

• The operation and the surgical team.
• The anaesthetic, whether local or general according to what the case calls for.
• Materials.
• Dressings.
• Reviews.
• A year of postoperative follow-up.

The last one is worth dwelling on, because it is the one almost nobody looks at when comparing and the one that costs most if it is missing. An otoplasty does not end when you leave theatre. There is a review at around the fifth day, another at around day fourteen, and the shape is not considered definitive until six months. A year of follow-up covers that whole journey, including how the scar settles.

Added to that is the clinic’s policy on complications and revisions, which is published in the general guide and is also explained at the consultation.

What moves the range

Four factors, and none of them is an arbitrary surcharge:

• The type of anaesthetic. A local anaesthetic with sedation in an adult does not cost the same as a general anaesthetic in a child, which requires a different team and different theatre times. It is the heaviest factor, and it is not chosen: it is set by age and by the case.
• The technique. Folding an antihelix is not the same as also reducing or repositioning a large concha, or reducing the size of the ear. The ear decides, not a menu.
• One ear or both. Operating on only one does not cost half: the theatre, the preparation, the team and much of the time are the same. It comes out somewhat cheaper, not half.
• First operation or secondary. Reoperating on an ear that has already been operated on is technically more demanding — there is scarring, the cartilage may have been modified — and that is reflected in the quotation.

Why prices differ so much between clinics

Because what is being compared is not the same thing. The real differences are usually in four places:

1. Which items are included. A price that does not include the anaesthetic, materials or reviews is an incomplete price, not a low one.
2. Who operates and where. The surgeon’s qualifications and the clinic’s licence are not an administrative detail: they are the legal requirement, and they are the first thing worth checking. It is explained in who is allowed to operate on you.
3. Which anaesthetic is planned. If a quotation for a six-year-old is strikingly low, the first question is which anaesthetic and which anaesthetist it was calculated with.
4. What follow-up is offered. And for how long.

What to ask when comparing quotations

Take them written down. There are eight questions and all eight have a concrete answer:

• Does the price include the anaesthetic and the anaesthetist’s fees?
• Does it include materials and dressings?
• How many reviews are included and for how long does follow-up last?
• What happens if a complication arises? And if a revision is needed?
• At which clinic is the surgery performed and what healthcare licence does it hold?
• Who exactly operates, and with what specialty and registration number?
• Is the quotation fixed after the assessment?
• If it is a child: is the general anaesthetic given by an anaesthetist with paediatric experience?

If any answer is vague, that vagueness will eventually turn into an invoice.

Finance

Yes, we offer finance. The specific terms — amount, instalments and cost — are provided in writing at the consultation, once the quotation has been fixed.

We deliberately do not publish monthly instalments on this page: any finance figure has to be accompanied by its full regulatory information, and that information depends on the lender, on the amount and on the term in each case. A bare instalment on a website, without that context, informs badly.

What about the public health service or private insurance?

That question has a page of its own, with the regulations and the process: when the Spanish public health service covers ear surgery.

Frequently asked questions

How much does ear surgery cost in Valencia?

At our clinic, between €2,400 and €3,900 as a guide. The quotation is fixed after the assessment consultation, once the particular case is known: the technique, the type of anaesthetic and whether one ear or both are operated on.

What does the price of an otoplasty include and what does it not?

It includes the operation and the surgical team, the anaesthetic — local or general depending on the case — materials, dressings, reviews and a year of postoperative follow-up. Anything outside that is itemised in the written quotation.

Why do prices differ so much between clinics?

Almost always because the same thing is not being compared: some quotations leave out the anaesthetic, materials or follow-up. The clinic where the surgery takes place and the type of anaesthetic planned also matter. An incomplete price is not a low price.

Does it cost the same to operate on a child as on an adult?

It usually does not, and the reason is the anaesthetic. Young children need a general anaesthetic, with the team and theatre times that requires; adults usually have a local anaesthetic with or without sedation.

Is it cheaper to operate on just one ear?

It is somewhat cheaper, but not half. The theatre, the preparation and much of the operating time are the same whether one ear or both are treated.

Is a revision, if one were needed, included?

Each case is assessed individually. The clinic’s policy on complications and revisions is published in the general otoplasty guide and is explained at the consultation before surgery, which is when that question is best settled.

Can it be paid in instalments?

Yes. The specific terms are provided in writing at the consultation, once the quotation has been fixed.

Is there a charge for the first assessment consultation?

No. The first assessment consultation is free of charge. You leave it with a fixed written quotation and with no obligation to go ahead.

Is it covered by the Spanish public health service or by my insurance?

It has a page of its own, because the answer is long and depends on the regulations and on the case. It is at public cover and private insurance.

Is there VAT on an otoplasty? Is it tax-deductible?

Medical procedures with a therapeutic purpose are treated differently for tax purposes from those with a cosmetic purpose, and how that applies depends on the particular case. We do not give tax advice: the quotation itemises any applicable taxes and any tax question is best put to an adviser.

Does the price go up if the lobe has to be operated on as well?

It may go up, because it is an additional surgical step. It is assessed in clinic and reflected in the fixed quotation. If it is only the lobe that bothers you, that is a different operation: earlobe repair.

Sources

• Spanish Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (SECPRE). Cirugía de las orejas. secpre.org — Description of the procedure, type of anaesthetic by age and follow-up intervals, which are the items that make up the quotation.
• Royal Decree 1030/2006, of 15 September, establishing the common portfolio of services of the Spanish National Health System. BOE-A-2006-16212. Consolidated text in the BOE — Exclusion of procedures with a cosmetic purpose unrelated to accident, illness or congenital malformation: this is why this operation is paid for privately. Consolidated version as at 31 July 2026.
• Kaleeny JD, Janis JE. Otoplasty Surgical Techniques and Clinical Outcomes: A Practical Review. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2026;14(1):e7404. PMID 41567352 — Meta-analysis of 18 studies and 1,590 patients: reoperation 2.1% and recurrence 2.8%. Supports why prolonged follow-up and the revisions policy form part of the real cost of the operation.
• Sadhra SS, Motahariasl S, Hardwicke JT. Complications after prominent ear correction: A systematic review of the literature. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2017. PMID 28602268 — 28 studies and 3,493 patients: reoperation or recurrence at around 5%, and complications requiring dressings and reviews. This is the evidence that follow-up is not an optional extra.

Book your consultation

An indicative price tells you whether this fits your budget. To know what it would cost you, an assessment is needed: which technique your ear calls for, which anaesthetic is appropriate and whether one ear or both are operated on.

That first assessment consultation is free of charge, and you leave it with a fixed written quotation, with a breakdown of what it includes and with the finance terms if you are interested. With no obligation.

Clinical confirmation by the surgeon

Dr Enrique Salmerón González

Specialist in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery
Registration no. 46/4624077

Dr Elena García Vilariño

Specialist in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery
Registration no. 46/4624503

Last reviewed: 6 September 2026. This content is for information only and does not replace an individual assessment by a healthcare professional.