Possible Skin Conditions

In the adult, there are several conditions that affect the ear. The outer ear is made up of cartilage covered by skin. The underlying cartilage can become inflamed by sun exposure of physical irritation (such as sleeping on the ear). Chondrodermatitis nodularis helicis is the result of this type of physical irritation and causes reddened and sometimes crusted bumps along the outer edge of the ear. Keloid scars are also common on the ear, caused by some kind of injury. Keloids are overgrown scars that may occur in response to having the ears pierced. The ear is often exposed to the sun, which can cause more serious conditions on this area of skin. Skin cancer of many types can affect the ear along with precancerous lesions called actinic keratoses. Please see the pictures below for information on these and other conditions.