There is a small hole in the ear

Although we all know that ears are an important part of our body and we need to take good care of them in our daily lives, have you ever paid attention to your own ears? Many people have a small hole on their ear. Many people call this small hole a smart hole or a wealth hole, both of which represent auspicious meanings. In fact, this small hole on the ear is not as simple as it sounds.

Case 1

In fact, this small hole is a congenital ear deformity, medically known as "preauricular fistula". Professor Van Heusinger first discovered this phenomenon in 1864 and it may be hereditary or accidental. Some people have small holes in both ears, while others only have them in one ear. Most preauricular fistulas appear in the right ear.

Case 2

Preauricular fistulas appear from the embryonic period. This situation occurs when the first and second branchial arches that form the auricle are not completely fused during fetal development, or when the first branchial groove is not completely closed. From the surface of the skin, it is just a small hole, but in fact it is very complicated inside, and it can even directly pass through the helix or auricle cartilage and go deep into the skull. Biologist Neil Shubin has suggested that the preauricular fistula may be a "remnant of the evolution of fish gills."

Case 3

In addition to the preauricular fistula, many people also have a small protrusion on the upper inner edge of the helix. This is a normal ear structure, known as "Da Vinci's tubercle". Most Asians have it, while most Caucasians have it completely degenerated. It has no practical function and is a vestigial organ left over from evolution. Leonardo da Vinci first discovered this structure through comparative anatomy, so it was named after it.

Causes of fistula inflammation

The fistula has a lot of internal secretions

In some babies, the sebaceous glands in the fistula are particularly active and produce a lot of secretions. Even if the fistula is unobstructed, the secretions cannot be discharged in time and can easily cause infection.

The baby's resistance is relatively poor

Infection of preauricular fistula is often related to poor resistance. Babies aged 1 to 3 have relatively poor resistance because their immune systems are not fully developed and they are more likely to get infected. Preauricular fistula infection is more likely to occur in seasons with alternating cold and hot weather.

Adults squeeze secretions

Many parents don’t know why there is secretion from the small hole in their baby’s ear, which smells a bit smelly. They want to clean it, so they squeeze it out with their hands, which results in tragedy. The doctor said that squeezing the preauricular fistula is equivalent to breaking the original relatively balanced state. The channel was originally unobstructed, but after being squeezed by external force, the channel is flattened or deformed, causing the channel to be blocked. The secretions in the channel cannot be discharged, and then it is easy to become inflamed. Moreover, squeezing can cause the inflammation to spread and aggravate the symptoms of inflammation and infection.