What are the pimples on the ears? What should I do if they appear?

Author: Gong Zhicheng Jiangxi Provincial Dermatology Hospital

Reviewer: Huang Jinjun, deputy chief physician, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University

Have you ever seen one or more dark red or purple fleshy bumps on the earlobes or auricles of some people? Some are as big as soybeans, and some even hang on the ears like grapes. These are often the "souvenirs" left after ear piercing - keloids.

Figure 1 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Keloids are formed by excessive proliferation of tissues during the repair process after trauma or inflammation. They protrude from the surface of the skin and are dark red or purple in color. The surface has lost the texture of normal skin and feels smooth and hard to the touch. In addition, keloids may cause discomfort such as itching and tingling from time to time. If they are not taken seriously, they will gradually increase in size and may invade the surrounding normal skin. It is worth noting that keloids are not limited to growing on traumatized ears, they also prefer to grow in areas such as the chest, shoulders, and pubic area. What is even more troublesome is that keloids have a high recurrence rate and can be described as "stubborn."

What should I do if I have a keloid on my ear? Don't worry, here are some effective treatments:

1. Drug injection into keloid

For soybean-sized, non-inflammation keloids, glucocorticoids or fluorouracil can be injected into the keloids to soften and shrink them, thereby effectively improving symptoms such as local skin bulges and itching. The treatment effect will be better if supplemented with external medications and local pressure.

2. Surgical Resection

Surgical excision is often recommended for keloids that are large, infected, or destroy the auricular subunit structure. Surgery can not only remove the diseased tissue, but also improve the appearance of the ear, creating favorable conditions for subsequent combined treatment. At present, there are various surgical methods for keloids on the ear, including direct excision, scar core excision, trephine excision, and skin grafting after excision, but it is equally important to carry out sequential treatment after surgical excision.

3. Local superficial radiation therapy

Local superficial radiotherapy can effectively control the local recurrence of keloids by inhibiting local angiogenesis, reducing inflammatory stimulation and the proliferation and transformation of fibroblasts. It is recommended to perform local radiotherapy within 24 hours after surgical resection for better results. It should be emphasized that this radiotherapy is only performed on the superficial layer of the skin and will not cause significant harm to the body, so patients do not need to be nervous or afraid.

4. Laser redness removal

Laser redness removal mainly uses pulsed dye laser and intense pulsed light to block local blood vessels, reduce blood flow, and thus inhibit scar growth. This method can effectively improve local skin itching, pain and other symptoms, and is an important means of early redness removal after surgical excision.

5. Topical medications and local pressure

Topical medications and local pressure are often used as auxiliary measures for combined treatment. The main ingredients of commonly used scar patches and scar creams are silicone or onion extracts. Topical medications combined with local ear clip pressure can effectively maintain local moisture and form an oxygen-deficient microenvironment, which is conducive to the orderly arrangement of scar tissue. It is generally recommended to start using it 3 to 5 days after the surgical sutures are removed, and it is advisable to use it continuously for 3 to 6 months.

Although keloids on the ears come in different shapes, there are many ways to treat them. For this type of stubborn problem, a reasonable combination of the above methods can often achieve better results. Finally, we need to remind everyone that the prevention of keloids is more important than treatment. If you have had such lumps on your body, be sure to protect your skin and avoid further injury. Prevention is the key.