HFA ears

POSITION of the ears on PROFILE (profile photos – if you have taken these photos at a 90 degree angle the image should be very similar from both sides – if they are different, take your photos again)

Tips

  • Look at the position of the ears – they will be average, high, or low 
  • On profile, an average ear sits in line with the top of the eye and just below the nose – see the images with dotted lines 
  • If the top of the ear sits above the imaginary line drawn from the top of the eye, it is high 
  • If the top of the ear is below this imaginary line, it is low 
  • If the ear sits well outside both these parameters, it is probably large 
  • If it sits well within both these parameters, it is probably small (see size of ears) 
  • Beware of earrings and how they can make an ear look larger than it really is – they can also stretch the lobe to be longer than it would be without the earrings 
  • Ensure the hair is tucked behind the ears (both sides) so the ear can be fully seen

Angle – side view

POSITION of the ears on PROFILE (profile photos – if you have taken these photos at a 90 degree angle the image should be very similar from both sides – if they are different take the photos again)

Tips

  • Look at the angle of the ears on profile 
  • An average ear sits from vertical position to an angle of 19 degrees 
  • If both ears are angled back more than 20 degrees, they are sloped ears and will get 1 yellow point 
  • Make sure the head was held very straight when the profile shots were taken 
  • If the head is tilted either forward or backward the angle of the ears will be false 
  • Use a protractor to check the angle if the ear is very close to 20 degrees 
  • If one ear is different to the other, they will not rate 
  • There are two ear parts to check for angle of the ear - 
    • Front edge of ear – the angle measurement is taken from the front side 
    • Back edge of ear – this part of the ear is generally rounded but sometimes can be sloped back, while the front side is < 19 degrees. This can give an appearance of being sloped when it isn’t sloped – check both front and back edge carefully but only rate the angle from the front edge. See the training images and The HFA Workbook.

FRONT ON image of the ears (front on photo – no smile – hair behind ears)

Tips

  • Look at the front on appearance of the ears 
  • Pull the hair behind the ears, so the image is clear – if the patient has long thick hair this can push the ears forward giving the appearance of turned out ears 
  • Most ears sit slightly away from the head – this is unrated 
  • If the ears are distinctly turned outward – top, bottom or all they will get 1 red point 
  • If one ear is flat and the other outward, they are unrated

This feature is over done by new students. Check several ears from the front view and only choose those which clearly grow out from the side of the head.

SIZE of the ears (profile photos – if you have taken these photos at a 90 degree angle the image should be very similar from both sides – if they are different take your photos again)

Tips

  • The size of the ears is a visual impression and cannot be measured exactly 
  • Sometimes the ears sit either well within (small) or well outside (large) the measurement related to low or high ears (measured against top of eyes and just under nose) 
  • At other times they just look very small or very large 
  • Even though ears grow larger for most people as we age, still rate the size, regardless of age 
  • As for all size measurements the more examples you collect, the easier you will choose ears that fall outside the normal size parameters. If you are unsure put a question mark.