What is the cause of a lump under the ear?

The human body is changing every day. A small bump may appear or the skin may be accidentally broken. If it weren't for the pain that draws people's attention, they would not be very clear about the changes happening in the body. Sometimes when you touch your ear, you may find a lump underneath. Many people wonder how a lump can grow on the ear. Everyone is curious about what is going on with a lump under the ear. This lump may be a sebaceous cyst, which is not a serious disease and will not cause any trouble.

The growth of small lumps under the earlobe is caused by many reasons . If everything else in the body is normal, it can be considered as a sebaceous cyst. This situation occurs because the skin glands secrete too much substance, causing blockage.

Sebaceous cysts, commonly known as "sebaceous tumors", are retention cysts formed mainly due to obstruction of the sebaceous gland excretion ducts, which causes the sebaceous gland cystic epithelium to swell with gradually increasing contents. It is characterized by a slowly growing benign lesion. There is white bean curd-like secretion in the cyst. It can occur at any age, but is more common in young and middle-aged people, and is prone to occur on the head, face, neck, chest and back. Sebaceous cysts protrude from the surface of the skin and generally have no subjective symptoms. If secondary infection occurs, they may cause pain and suppuration.

1. Clinical manifestations

Sebaceous cysts protrude from the surface of the skin and are prone to occur in areas rich in sebaceous glands, such as the scalp, face, chest and back, and most of them grow slowly. When there is no concurrent infection, patients generally have no symptoms. The tumors are spherical, single or multiple, and vary in size, ranging from a few millimeters to nearly 10 centimeters. It is of medium hardness and elasticity, protruding from the skin surface, adhered to the skin, not easy to push, with a smooth surface and no sense of fluctuation. There is a needle-head-sized umbilicus-like opening in the center, which is blue-black in color and shaped like a needle-head acne. Squeezing can produce tofu dregs or noodle mud-like contents, which are sebum and broken sebaceous gland cells, often with a rancid odor. It is extremely rare for sebaceous cysts to become cancerous, but they are prone to secondary infection. If infection occurs, inflammatory reactions such as redness, swelling, heat, and pain may occur. The cyst may rupture and temporarily disappear under external force, but it will form scars and is prone to recurrence.

II. Treatment

If it is inconvenient and unsightly, it can be removed through minor surgery. Pay attention to rest and eat a light diet. Eat more vegetables and fruits to supplement your body's vitamins. The most commonly used radical cure is surgical resection under local anesthesia. Sebaceous cysts are small tumors on the body surface. The surgery is simple and can be performed in an outpatient clinic. The cyst should be removed as completely as possible without leaving any cyst wall, otherwise it is prone to recurrence. Since sebaceous cysts mostly occur on the face, the cosmetic effect should be considered during surgical excision. A small incision can be used to remove the sebaceous cyst on the face and neck, and the skin can be sutured without tension to avoid the growth of scars and achieve a beautiful effect.

Antibiotics should be used appropriately if there is infection before surgery and to control inflammation after surgery. Sebaceous cysts that have been infected should be surgically removed after the infection is controlled. For patients whose local infection cannot be controlled or has been complicated by abscess, incision and drainage should be performed.

CO2 laser and electro-ion minimally invasive methods are considered to be good methods for treating cysts without concurrent infection. They are particularly suitable for the treatment of sebaceous cysts on the face due to their simple operation, small incision, little bleeding, no need for sutures, almost no scars, and low recurrence rate.