boil/blister on ear

My daughter is 5 and had her ear's pierced 6 weeks ago. Everything has been great, until yesterday. She wanted to change her earings, since it had been 6 weeks. Behind one of her ears, (the hole on the bottom side of ear) was a watery filled bump. I am not sure how to describe it better. It was clear....I did not pop it, but did not take her earings out either as I was afraid to irritate whatever it was. I put some of the ear cleaning solution on it and she says it does not bother her or hurt. What should I do?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
This blister like bump can be a cyst like epidermoid cyst. It is a benign cyst which can be caused by a blocked pore adjacent to a body piercing. It needs to be excised when infected/painful or when cosmetically causing problems. My sincere advice would be to discuss this possibility with your dermatologist.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.