Search “ear surgery Boulder” and the results split into two piles that have almost nothing to do with each other. One pile is cosmetic: setting protruding ears closer to the head, a procedure surgeons call otoplasty, sold by plastic surgery and facial aesthetic practices and paid for out of pocket. The other pile is medical: ear infections, ear tubes, hearing loss, cochlear implants, the things an ear, nose and throat practice does all day. Boulder County has both kinds of practice within a few miles of each other, and a reader who does not know which pile they belong in can spend a week calling the wrong offices. The sorting question is not “who is the best ear surgeon here” — it is whether the appointment you need is an aesthetic consultation, a pediatric reconstructive referral, or a repair of something torn.
In Boulder County, four cosmetic practices publish a dedicated otoplasty or ear reshaping page, while three ENT practices, with six offices between them, focus on medical ear care. There is one person who appears on both sides of that line, which is the single most useful fact in this article and the reason the two piles are not as separate as they look. Timing matters too: the nonsurgical option for an infant’s ear shape is measured in weeks after birth.
Boulder Plastic Surgery — a published number
At 1215 Spruce Street, Suite 201, this practice lists three surgeons on its contact page — Winfield Hartley, M.D., F.A.C.S., Justin B. Maxhimer, M.D., F.A.C.S., and Joshua D. Rouch, M.D. Its ear resculpturing page describes otoplasty as a minimally invasive outpatient procedure typically performed on children ages four to fourteen and on adults, and then prints a figure. Costs “are typically between $6,700 and $7,000,” and the page states plainly that the range covers the physician, the operating room and the anesthesia. That bundling is what makes the number usable, because a quote that covers only the surgeon’s fee is not comparable to one that covers all three. The figure was read on 14 September 2026.
Boulder Valley Plastic Surgery — thirty years in Boulder, with the operating room down the hall
Dr. Jeffrey Swail has practiced in Boulder since 1995, and his office at 2575 Pearl Street, Suite 300, keeps weekday hours only, closing at 3 or 4 p.m. depending on the day. His bio states he trained in general surgery at Queen’s University and in plastic surgery at Dalhousie, holds FRCS(C) from the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada, and belongs to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Colorado Medical Society and the Boulder County Medical Society — a Canadian credential that will not appear in a United States board lookup, which is worth knowing before you conclude a search came up empty. The practice states that most of its cosmetic surgery happens in its own surgical suite, certified by the American Association for the Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, and that Dr. Swail holds privileges at Boulder Community Hospital, where his bio says he served as chief of surgery from 2002 to 2004. Its otoplasty page is also specific about what counts: overly large ears, protrusion on one or both sides, “lop ear,” “cupped ear” and “shell ear,” plus stretched earlobes and lobes with creases. Ask about pricing; the page says the procedure runs under local anesthesia or IV sedation depending on how much correction is needed.
Boulder Valley Laser & Cosmetic — the facial plastics route, usually done in the office
This practice at 4745 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 115, is built around Dr. Andrew Goldman, whom its pages describe as double board certified in head and neck surgery and in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, with more than twenty years of experience. Its otoplasty page separates the procedure into three distinct jobs — ear pinning for prominent ears, ear reduction for macrotia, and ear augmentation using cartilage or tissue grafting for underdeveloped ears, including microtia. It also makes a claim about setting that changes the bill: while otoplasty is often done in a hospital or outpatient facility, the page says Dr. Goldman can perform most otoplasties in the office under local anesthesia. An in-office procedure under local avoids a facility and anesthesia charge. The rest of the clinical team is listed as Kacie Albertsen, DNP, Paige Swales, APN, and Mindy Chambers. Ask about otoplasty pricing at consultation.
Boulder Valley Ear, Nose & Throat — the medical side, and the overlap
Here is the overlap. Dr. Goldman is also listed on the physician roster of Boulder Valley Ear, Nose & Throat, which runs offices in Boulder, Louisville and Lafayette and answers on 303-443-2771; its Boulder listing is at 4745 Arapahoe Avenue, the same building as his cosmetic practice. His ENT bio adds detail: a medical degree from Rush University in 1996, head and neck surgery residency at SUNY-Downstate in Brooklyn through 2001, and a facial plastic and reconstructive surgery fellowship at University Hospital in Bern, Switzerland, in 2001–2002. The practice states all its specialists are board certified in otolaryngology, and its colleague Dr. David D. Morrissey lists interests in voice disorders, thyroid and parathyroid surgery, sinus procedures and head and neck cancer. The practice’s pediatric ENT list runs tonsils and adenoids, ear infections, ear tubes, allergy and sinus issues, and the general list runs sinuses, throat, head and neck and hearing; for otoplasty, ask at Dr. Goldman’s cosmetic practice.
Aura Advanced Skin Care & Plastic Surgery — age criteria in writing
Aura opened in Boulder in August 2013 and sits at 2595 Canyon Boulevard, Suite 360, with Dr. Nathan Roesner, D.O., as its surgeon. Its own account of his training is specific — an undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, medical school at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, then seven years in southeast Michigan through the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine completing both general surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery programs, plus an adjunct associate professorship at Rocky Vista University. The page states he is fellowship trained and board certified in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Its value for a parent is the timing paragraph: the page says otoplasty can be performed once the ears have reached or nearly reached adult size, usually around five to six years of age, and that the procedure is most often done on children between four and fourteen. It also states plainly that ear reduction does not affect hearing, because it involves only the outer ear. The practice offers a membership program and payment plans; ask about otoplasty pricing at consultation.
Coal Creek Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery — earlobe repair
This Lafayette practice is the one to read carefully, because the distinction it draws is the one most people get wrong. Its facial procedures page lists eyelid lift, facelift, brow lift, neck lift, earlobe surgery, rhinoplasty and fat transfer — earlobe repair is there, otoplasty is not. A torn or stretched lobe from an earring or a gauge is a different, smaller operation than repositioning ear cartilage, and it is the ear procedure most often needed by adults. Dr. Glenn Herrmann founded the practice and its on-site Coal Creek Ambulatory Surgery Center, states more than twenty years in practice and privileges at five Denver-area hospitals, and his page states he is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. The practice states it accepts insurance. Confirm the location and the procedure before you drive over.
Boulder Medical Center — four ENT offices
Boulder Medical Center has served Boulder County since 1949 and runs ENT from four addresses: 2750 Broadway Street and 4745 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 200, in Boulder, 1551 Professional Lane, Suite 240, in Longmont, and 80 Health Park Drive, Suite 100, in Louisville, all scheduling through 303-440-3073 or 303-440-3170 on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its published treatment list includes facial fractures and trauma, cosmetic injectables, cochlear implants, ear wax removal and “surgery for the ear, nose, sinus, throat and thyroid.” If your ear problem started with an accident, this is the kind of practice that lists trauma repair; if what you want is a cosmetic setback, call to ask whether one of its surgeons does it. Its Arapahoe office is a third ear practice in the same building as the two above, which is a coincidence of real estate rather than any relationship between them.
Front Range Otolaryngology — ENT and audiology in Longmont
At 1325 Dry Creek Drive, Suite 103, in Longmont, this practice trades as Front Range Otolaryngology & Facial Plastic Surgery, and third-party listings describe Dr. Kevin Cavanaugh as a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. On its site, read on 14 September 2026, the symptom lists cover sinusitis, rhinitis, nasal polyps, balloon sinuplasty, deviated septum, reflux, thyroid nodules, sleep apnea and hoarseness, the pediatric list covers ear pain, ear infections, PE tubes and tonsils, and the audiology side covers hearing loss, tinnitus, balance and bone-anchored hearing devices including BAHA and PONTO. The practice works with an audiologist, Dr. Sean Barak, Au.D., and its published schedule is Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with Friday reserved for surgery, which tells you when to expect a call back. Appointments are by phone on 720-494-9111 rather than online. If a facial plastics consultation is what you need, ask directly.
The Newborn Window, and the One Thing That Leaves the County
Two ear situations cannot be solved by any of the eight practices above, and both are about timing. The first is infant ear molding, a nonsurgical treatment in which a deformed but complete ear is reshaped with a device rather than operated on. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s patient material explains why the clock is so tight: molding works best in the first few weeks of life, while infant ears are still soft and pliable from maternal estrogen. No Boulder County practice found in this research publishes ear molding. The nearest Colorado providers that publish it are in Denver, Lone Tree and Castle Rock — ENT Specialists of the Rockies lists the EarWell system at those three offices.
The second is significant congenital difference. Children’s Hospital Colorado’s plastic surgery department defines protruding ears as sticking out more than 2 cm from the head, and treats microtia, anotia, cauliflower ear, Stahl’s ear, earlobe deformities and traumatic ear injuries. Its published pathway for microtia begins at around age seven, uses cartilage taken from the child’s ribs in a first stage, and completes lobule transposition and ear elevation over the following six to twelve months. That is a multi-year program at a hospital in Aurora, not an afternoon at a Boulder med spa, and it is the referral to ask a pediatrician about rather than a cosmetic consultation.
Before You Book
Start by naming the procedure out loud, because the word you use decides which phone number is right. “Otoplasty,” “ear pinning,” “ear resculpturing” and “ear reshaping” all describe the same cosmetic setback and are sold by the four cosmetic practices here. “Earlobe repair” is a separate, smaller procedure and Coal Creek is the practice in this article that lists it. Ear tubes, infections, hearing loss and tinnitus belong to the three ENT practices. And a newborn’s ear shape is a conversation to have with a pediatrician in the first weeks, not a search to run at leisure.
On money, ask every practice: does the quote include the surgeon, the facility and the anesthesia, or only the first of the three? That single question is why an all-in range and a surgeon’s-fee-only quote cannot be compared, and it is why the setting matters — an in-office procedure under local anesthesia removes a facility line that a hospital or an accredited surgery center would charge. Get the estimate in writing, ask whether the practice bills it as cosmetic or reconstructive, and ask about insurance specifically rather than assuming: Coal Creek states on its site that it accepts insurance, and a repair after an injury is a different billing conversation from a setback for appearance.
On credentials, take what each practice says as its own statement. Ask which body issued the certificate and in what specialty — head and neck surgery, facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, and plastic surgery are three different training paths, and all three are represented in this county. Ask how many otoplasties the surgeon performs in a year and to see before-and-after photographs of ears specifically, not faces generally.
Finally, confirm what you read here before you pay for it. Every address, hour, price and service list in this article was read on 14 September 2026, and the fastest-decaying item is the published price. A phone call remains the cheapest verification step available. If a practice cannot tell you on the phone which of the two ear operations it performs, that is the answer to your question.
This article describes what local businesses offer and, where noted, what they say about their own services. Boulder Vibe does not endorse any treatment for any condition, and nothing here is medical advice. Please talk with your doctor or another qualified clinician before starting something new.
