i have a hole in my ear? (not ear canal)

okay so ever since i was born i've had this big bump with a hole in it, above my right ear. its located where the top curve meets the side of my head and its about as big as an ear piercing... maybe just a tad bigger. my left ear doesnt have the hole or the bump, it smoothly transitions from the top curve of my ear to the side of my head. sometimes this area would itch and many times this cloudy white/yellow/funny smelling liquid is excreted from the hole. and sometimes a little harder, darker yellow/brownish color looking (it kind of looks like ear wax) stuff would come out of this hole. if anyone could please tell me what exactly this is, and if it could get infected, how would i know? thank you :)

[Cococay7]

Sounds like this:

http://www.ghorayeb.com/AuricleCongenitalPit.html

[runner07]

thanks, but the hole's not inside my ear

[Dennis_]

I have the same exact thing !   It sucks because it stinks and is embarassing.  I have it on both ears.  Have you gotten any responses back that are worth anything.  Let me know !  I have had it my whole life and am damn sick of it.  My kids have it too.

Dennis  

[boulders]

i have the exact same thing, and its on my ear lobe and this white stuff comes out and it stink and its sometime itches alot, its do horrible i wish i didnt have it, i've always wondered what it was, and everyday i have to clean it properly. its such a mission.

WHAT IS IT!!!!

[tore21]

i have same thing as well as my wife and one of my kids got it on both ears i'm the only one of my moms kids that does but she does also she told me that doctors don't know to think of it but your right it stinks and suck to have it

[boulders]

i've found that if i clean it with surgical spirits it isnt so bad, the white gross stuff subsides, but being a girl i get very consious coz it sometimes gets in my hair, not cool at all.  but everything i've read said its on the top of the ear, mine is in my ear lobe, sometimes gets confused with a hole for an earing but its more on the side of my lobe, to be honest it was so itchy once i scratched it with a hair pin, lol and it goes no where, it just like a dead end with a pointless entry in to the ear lobe, do you or your wife or your kids have it on your ear lobes or where?

soz to be so personal. lol.

[boulders]

sorry addressed my comment above to only one person by accident. :-)  please any one respond

[SunnieD]

I have this hole also...its called a fistula....mine has a wierd smell at times...but not all the time....sometimes it will have a lil itch and when i scratch it..it smells....i have never actually seen any liquid come from the hole. Ive had it 28 years since birth. My daughter also has this hole...and she has never mentioned it itching or secreting any liquid. She is 8 years old.  Her father had one as well. Maybe some case are more extreme than others. Some doctors say the liquid and smell are due to infection. But I have never had mine treated , and never felt any affects of this really being some kind of infection. I would think that after 28 years something would have happened if this were truly some kind of infection.

[runner07]

my parents don't have it. my aunt does though, she's my father's sister. and my little sister has it on both ears while i just have it on my right one. we've both had it since birth too. its weird, i've recently noticed that it mostly secretes the liquid when i'm outside and its really hot. and when i'm in the cool indoors, its mostly dry.

[jennga]

My grandmom had it nd I do to her's leaked green puss mine now after 29 yrs is kinds swollen and leaks way more than ever and yea super embarassing imagine... heat of passion and no not that ear it stinks....lol *****, but it's neat to be different, well it was til I learned its pretty common.... although no one I actually know has it. I put 14k gold earrings in it to disgust my friends. Yea it's that deep....ewwww

[lnsng]

Its called an Ear Pit.  Its a minor anomaly and really nothing to worry about.  I have one, too.  If you have one, more likely than not, someone in your family has one.  I've read various things about the puss that may come out.  Some people say it smells bad, and others say there's no smell at all.  My ear pit does secrete something that occasionally does smell bad.  If you see a doctor about it, they treat it with antibiotics because the bad smell means bacteria has infected the ear pit.  I've had mine all my life and I've never had it treated.  I hardly affects me at all, other than sometimes people will say, "Hey!  You have a hole near your ear!"

[boulders]

the same thing happens with the belly ring, i wonder if your body thinks it needs to close the hole so it produces this stuff to close it but then all thats left is this stinky stuff. demmit. lol

[Littleduds]

I have one in my left ear, my dad has one in his right and my brother has one in each ear! I have one at the end of my nose, too, though it's not as noticeable as the one in my ear. Does anyone else have another one in a different part to their ear?! And does anyone know if they are the same thing?

[jess1818]

Im so glad that someone else has this. My boyfriend has it, and it annoys the hell out of me. The hole seems like its never ending. and the "stuff" that is in it is brownish yellowish, sticky and kind of a dry substance. its really hard to explain. I think it might be a wax build up or something, And nerv racking. I try to clean it out with tweezers, but its hard to get out because its sooo sticky. I pulled some out, and its never ending. I try to clean it and i cant because it hurts him, and there is too much in that hole. I wonder how deep it is. Do you think a small bug could live in it?? freeky!! Ive been looking for pictures online to compare to my boyfriends ear, but it cant find anything.

[shawdyross]

I heard these is called spirit holes or ghost holes. i was told when i was little that people with these holes sometimes have a sixth sense where my aunt has one and when she was young she told people she seen people that was never there call it imaginary friends hey i dont know. well my 1yr old has one in both ears and my three year old has one i actually has to take my 3yr old to the hospital cause i thought she was sick b/c she told me she say someone on my dresser and then she started crying and told me they were dead i told the doctor maybe she was hallucinating but the nurse in triage told me the same thing about the spirit holes and a nice story of how her 4 yr old son told her all about her father who was actually dead before he was even born.. crazy huh. I looked up Fistula what SunnyD said it was and i wouldnt really call it that but if you are sure then let me know b/c i need to be aware of how to treat my children and what to look for.

[shawdyross]

just found a website you can take a look at.... http://www.doctorhoffman.com/xpit.htm

[DDQ]

well i have it too i know other persons have it too but never knew other persons had a stinky smell to it like mine gosh mines annoying it itches often evryday... i hate it ill be doin surgery i found out its a sinus detcted at birth due to the external part of the ear. sometimes mine swells really big and then leaks a lot of mucus like a teaspoon full...lol i stick pins in in sometimes wen it is swollen to drain it. i hate it though by the way it affects your hearing wether u know it or not found this out by s doctor........... p.s

[Wear/a/Jimmy]

By far the best expanation I have ever found regarding this topic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-aUukFk-tY



Dr. J  AuD   ccc-a

[hieropants]

I have one on my left ear. I never realized other people like the video above released so much pus fluid. mine is dry. i clean mine with skin astringent it seems to help. what do other people use ??

[Dwight14]

I am not alone! Yaaaay! I've been looking for some info for a while. I have the HOLE on both sides of my ears, except the left side discharges more than the right side. When I was around 8, the left side swelled up and had to get the puss surgically removed, but I think the tracts are still there. After watching that video, that's what the surgeon should've done cause my left side is really a bug these days. Answering phones is disgusting cause the puss comes out sometimes. I have to clean it frequently throughout the day.

Both sides of my parents' family have it. My mom has one and my dad's mom has one also.

Is there a non-surgical procedure to lessen the puss or eliminate it?  

[prequntasprequntas]

I can't believe no one has yet given you the correct medical term for this. It's called a preauricular cyst/pit/sinus. They are quite common and are genetic. The stinky substance that comes out of it is keratin, and it does indeed have an awful smell. The reason it feels like a bump is because it's a little pit, and the bump is the pit itself. The whitish/yellowish color is normal, but when it's more brown, it could indicate an infection and you should talk to your doctor about it. Most of the time these require no treatment whatsoever, but they do occasionally require surgery if problematic. If you get abnormal discharge or any swelling of the pit or the side of your face, you should be seen by a docto as these are all signs of infection.

I have one, too! I know they are super common, and I try to keep an eye out for others who may have them because no one in my immediate family has them. Supposedly this genetic "defect" is more common in Asians, but they are pretty common in any population.

[dtate]

I have it it is called a preauricular sinus.  I was born with it on my right ear.  My older sister has it on her left.  Her daughter has it and my daughter has it on both ears.  Yes it can be itchy at times and puss may come out of it.  It is very important to keep it clean.  It can cause a very bad  and painful infection.  I have experienced this painful infection 4 times in my life and I am 34 years old.  I noticed when I get sinus infection it draines to that hole.   I have seen many doctors about it and what do you know.  I was desperate one day and went to see a doctor I found who happened to have an opening that very minute.  That doctor was the one that knew exactly what I had.  He said in order to keep that from happening I would have to have that hole in my ear stitch and closed. I am now experiencing terrible pain. turned purple and I can barely touch it.  

[galfsen]

My son has this on both sides of his ears. He is having surgery on Wednesday since he keeps getting infections on the left ear. The surgeon is actually taking cartilage from another part of his ear to fill the hole before sewing it up, this way the pit will be filled and there is less chance of the cyst coming back. Apparently they use to just sew it up, but studies have shown better results when using cartilage to fill it up. I'm crossing my fingers that the other hole never gets infected. It is much shallower then the infected one, and so far there hasn't been any fluid flowing from that one! My son is looking forward to not having a "stinky ear" anymore. He is only 8 and cannot stand the smell! Poor guy, for a long time I thought he wasn't washing his ears well enough and that's why it always smelt! You don't know how horrible I felt after we found out the truth behind the stinky ears!!!

[Hebers]

Hi, my daughter has tiny pin-***** holes above ears on both sides, I noticed them when she as born, as my husband has them.
They were never a problem and have never smelt of anything or had anything come out of them until October last year when one side 'got infected' a raised bump appeared slightly to one side of the hole and then it sort of burst and puss (not smelly puss!) came out, then it healed over, scabbed then puss built up behind scab, puss came out, healed, scabbed over etc etc !! we went to the doctors in the first instance quite a few times, tried various creams and antibiotics, nothing made any difference. doesn't seem to cause her any pain. She is now 5 years old. And we have been referred to childrens hospital to see an ear, nose & throat specialist, who has booked her in to have surgery in 5 weeks time, we've just had the date through the post. I am extremely un-easy about the whole thing and want to find out more about it. The surgeon said they would cut it open, take away the bad stuff and see how far the tunnel/canel behind the hole goes and hopefully take the whole 'deformity' away and stitch it up. They said there is a possibilty that a further operation might be needed if they don't take all of it away??!! Can you give me any advice/help

[GWG67]

Very interesting! I too have this small hole in my ear. I am now 42 yrs old and I was told back in the early 70's that I could have surgery on my ear to have it removed. My mom chose not to have me go under the knife b/c of the scarring that might result from it. Yes it does leak a nasty puss. I do notice that it fills up more in the summer time. But one thing I did notice is that your diet really makes a difference on how runny the puss is (this is gross talking about this!). I lost about 100 pounds on a low carb diet. And since then it does not drain as much as in use to. Just FYI, I drain it by pressing on it with a clean tissue before bed . But I wet it with a little water. That way when it drains, it runs into the tissue,and not into your ear or hair, YUCK!..... I have only had it get infected a couple of times. It got a little swolen.. I didn't go to the Dr, but I used over the counter antibiotic cream around the hole, not directly in the tiny hole, and used hot compresses for a cpl of days. It got better and has been fine.... My Aunt has the same hole, and hers drains once in a while too... It really is a family thing huh!... Very weird...
If you just make sure its been addressed before you get cozy with someone. I shouldn't be a problem. It's pretty much just a routine thing for me now after all this time......

[ihatepitear]

Hey guys mine is slightly a little different.  I have it in my right ear since i was young, and this clear liquid use to come off if i rubbed it or scratched it, and IT SMELLED BAD.  But i never got the pus or the infections.  AND, it went away after i was about 15 years old, and the  spot doesn't release liquid nor does it smell. but........

Now the peculiar thing is when I was about 18, i would rub my nose and i smell this same awful smell like in my ear back then.  Its the same exact colorless liquid with the same smell, but coming from the crease of skin that connects my 2 outer nostrils to the skin on my face.  Im 21 now and its been haunting me because im afraid to make out with girls because the smell would come off when we come in contact.

From what i've read, nobody had it go away, and no one really had it near the nose.  Is mine a different condition? Please I need answers i want to rid my life of this.

[sammi86y]

I was also born with ear pits, one on each side, my left ear eventually closed up and you can barely tell anything was there but my right one is still very apparent. I have never had it leak on it's own, my mum always drained it (almost as if it were a zit) like once a week and I have kept it up since I am 23 and have never had to have any sort of treatment. As I said I often drain it and it is white and not smelly. my problem is that I find these pits popping up in other places besides my ear, has anyone else experienced this? I've had one under my breast, one on my back and one on my stomach and they take months of daily draining to get them to close up. I was told as a child that these pits can be very long but I never heard of them popping up  in other places.

[keithl]

Hey guys I have this annoying thing too, had it since I was born and is honestly one of the most troublesome things I have had to put up with. I notice that pus comes out after I have been laughing a lot and this is really annoying when I just want to go out with friends and not having to worry about how weird I am to have been born with this.
Sigh, but I think I will be getting surgery to remove this cyst soon or whatever my doctor called it, if all goes well that is. For 18 years I had to constantly make sure that none of my friends noticed it, and really now that I know it is hereditary, I have to worry about if I would ever pass it on to my children and if I would pity them for having had to be born with this and blame myself for passing this on them.

[ac555]

after i watched that vid.. do u think the mucus can extend down to the armpit?

[Shanti9711]

I thought I was alone in the world with this... I've never known anyone with it. It just started leaking right now so i thought to look it up real quick and here you all are. :) It's just below where the top of my left ear meets my head and people think I have a piercing there as it's not a bump.

Mine has never really smelled but sometimes it's very fluid and other times it's a little thicker; I think once it swelled up and I popped it - that was gross but other than that it crusts up over the hole but then all of a sudden it just leaks on it's own.

I'm 30 and I've had it as long as I can remember. When i was little, my dad would tell me that my brain was leaking because I had too much smart fluid for my head to contain... it still scared me but the Dr. has never said anything about it so I really don't think about it until it leaks which isn't every day or even every week.

[earpitiful]

I HAVE FOUND MY PEOPLE!!!  STINKY EAR PIT FREAKS UNITE!!!

Reading all these posts feels like a support group.

Those damn pits-- They stink! They itch! They drive me nuts!

Good luck to my fellow sufferers out there.  May no one ever kick us out of bed for ear stink.

[monieb]

I have had mine for 29 years my Dad has one and my brother. I have had no problem with mine,  apart for the odd occasion when it really swells up and hurts a bit, but thats when I squeeze it out til theres nothing left, using coton tips is good because they soak up the pus straight away.
I also check mine every time I have a shower, just to make sure.....
I also think if you don't drain the pus every now and then you'll end up with a Preauricular Ear infection, and having to have surgery.

[aj07]

I have same problem.I have hole on both ears & whitish/yellowish liquid comes from it.also gets swelled up.
I have consulted ENT doctor.as per him when this will serious.....surgery has to do.
also as per him if this is deeper then surgery will longer ..
also 100% garuntee to remove it from root not possible....

I am so scared....

Please help !!!!!
I don't want to undergo surgery...

[kyleighkeyes]

I have this same problem. But my dentist told me that it was a dimple and also had them in my teeth in the back. I thought they were cavities but they were also dimples in my teeth and its a sign of weak teeth. Now those teeth have caved in basically and I've got osteomyelitis, which is an infection in the jaw. I don't know if anyone else has this same dental problem but it pretty much blows.

[TinPittsburgh]

Wow, I can't believe so many people have the same "defect".  I've had one on my right ear since I can remember and it started swelling when I was in the 7th grade (around 12).  It started swelling about once every year until I moved to Oregon (then 21).  I always thought it was the weather (sometimes it came in the summer, other times the winter).

I'm now 32 and I've moved to Pittsburgh.  The problem seems to be worse.  I find myself draining it much more frequently and feel like its associated with other problems I've been having since I moved here.  For example, I got my first sinus infection when I moved to Pittsburgh and I noticed my ear was swollen (my lymph nodes also swell).  The doctor prescribed antibiotics which causes the swelling to increase and make the bump easier to pop (which releases the smelly puss everyone talks about).

Someone mentioned diet as being a factor.  I can say that Pittsburgh is probably the junk food capital of the world and I don't eat as healthy as I did when I lived in Oregon.  Could that be it?  The climate is also different.  It's very cold and dry (especially this winter).  

If there are things people notice specifically about their diets and/or environments, I'd appreciate knowing.  Maybe we can prevent the swelling in other ways (besides surgery).

Thanks for posting about your experiences.  It does feel good to know I'm not alone....I've never met anyone else who had one.

[fre0581]

i have the exact same thing but mine wont close it just leaves a scar. have now decided to leave it alone.

[charming123]

Oh, hell! i've alwasy had this one, and never knew anyone who also had. I talked with my doctor, he knows NOthing about it. But it's a really bad thing it seems. I mean mine never itches but it reaaly does smess wierd from time to time. And it didn't smell when i was yonger. i totaly remember that i i know it did't smell or have any liquid coming out before,but now about 8 years it does and it really *****

Those who were to do the surgeries, pleeeease let us know how it went?! did it really happend to be useful. did you get what you needed? does it smell or could they remove it?!

please let us know!

[Hebers]

See my previous posts. My Daughter had the surgery in Nov 2009. And seemed to recover really well from it, and was looking like healing well, then just after Christmas, it swelled up in same place, where scar was from surgery. and yucky puss came out (not smelly, never had 'smelly' puss!) , so went back to see Consultant at the Childrens Hospital, he gave us antibiotic cream and said if doesn't help it, she'd have to have surgery again as the origianl infection must have been deeper than first thought. Thankfully, so far, it hasn't flared up again and this miracle cream calmed it all down really quickly. We are currently still waiting to see !! The scar now does still look very red and angry. (this is 4 months after surgery!!??)

[DJdiamondcutz]

I have the same exact thing!!!!!!! but stuff dont come out i put earrings in mine though can i die from it??? itsw weird and some ppl think its cool and i just make it useful but comment back!! :)

[tootsidippinsniffer]

Wow!! I thought i had done something wrong to have had my baby born with this. I know no one with this strange pit, none of my other kids have it just my baby...on both ears. i haven't noticed any puss though...thanks to you all now i can watch for things that might happen as everyone is different...maybe nothing at all will happen..it's just really nice to have the info as the doctors didn't even tell me what it was/or to even look out for it, they pretty much ignored it...thank god for the internet!!!!

[amri8425]

My whole family has them..some of us with one, but I have it in both ears.  Ive never known what they were called until now.  Mine just itch alot and stink when I scratch them.  Yucky!!  My fiance thinks its yucky too.  My moms are far worse, and my aunt had to have surgery when she was little because of the infections.  Does anyone have any recommendations of what to clean it with that might prevent the yucky stink.  Right now I just use alcohol, peroxide or anti bacterial soap, but they seem to make it itch more...and nothing helps the yucky smell.  Im super surprised that so many people have this in common....maybe its not a birth "defect" after all...lol.

[Vln4th]

I have two one on each ear, and everyone in my family has one. My cousin has one on his neck and the doc removed it cuz he said, it's liquid from your brain that has to come out but not out that whole.... Hope it helps :)

[ms3walker]

Wow this is funny. I have these holes In both of my ears and so does by boyfriend. I'm sure if we ever have kids they will too. I tell ppl I'm an alien n because they are called ghost/spirit holes, I can read people's spirits.anyway I have never gad anything comes out of either of my holes but I noticed (like someone else said) that while outside n it was hot my boyfriend had that fluid coming out of his ear n he just wiped it off but he doesn't know what it is. Again I never had those problems n I like mine. Its rare. I have them in the corner of my mouth too, where the ends of my lips meet. I think its kul. I like being different. But u guys should ask ur doctor.

[Razo136]

YEAHHH these are my people !
I though I was alone!
I seriously thought I was some kind of alien or something because I've never met anyone else who has this. I'm 18 now and I've had it since I can remember.
My friends use to think I got my ears pierced they would be like "Hey you pierced your ears up there ?" I'd be like "Noo, who the hell piereces they're ears up there??  They're just holes man leave me alone" LOOOL
It doesn't really bother me anymore I just clean it when it starts to itch because that's when I know that white stuff has built up, I don't get the white stuff alot.
Apparently we're special and we have some kind of connection with aliens, we never break bones and we heal very fast too ! Wahayyy :-D

[eileen_c]

i hate mine that i never tie my hair up. if we opt to go under the knife, will the pit be entirely sewn up (closed for ever) because i am thinking of going under the knife to fix this so i can confidently tie up my hair! and how big will the scar be?

[bhem21]

that is called preauricular pits... it is like a pocket that collects a yellowist smelly thing... a cycts liquid... i have mine too... but be careful in cleaning that... specially in the hole area because sometimes i will be infected by a bacteria.. the infection closes the hole, swell, and its painful,it usually treat with antibiotics.. so pls be careful of putting anything on the hole... here a site for more info..
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/845288-overview

[BlueJay2010]

The first time I was made aware of something like this was when my daughter was born back in 1985.  She had 1 hole just where the top of the ear flattens against the face like many of you have described.  My then M-I-Law pointed out that at least 3 of her children had it, but all had one on each ear. The hole in my daughters ear became infected when she was 3 and it was operated on and cleaned out and closed up.  It turns out it was a grain of sand that had travelled deep into the hole when she had been on holiday with my mum.  She has had no problems since. There were warnings that due to where the surgery was to be performed there was a danger that it could cause damage as in paralysis of muscles which could have resulted in half of her face drooping.  She was fortunate in that this did not happen. I remarried 15 years ago, and had a further 4 children and found out when my youngest son was around 3, he also had a 'mystery' hole just inside the tunnely bit of the ear.  He is now 11 and have had no problems with either.  I had used the end of a hair clip with both children, and each hole in the ear of both children was just over half an inch deep.  It is some hereditary, but I have checked with my maternal side and it is not present, but not checked fully with present hubbys family as they are abroad.

[AirmanD]

This is amazing to see others have it, I have one on my left earlobe and it just looks like a regular ear peircing except it doesn't go all the way through, except there is a pit that goes up. I can relate to the itching/puss part aswell, and my mother would always tell me to stop playing with my ear.

[Getit]

What is the scientific word for it.

[jilibean]

I have found my people and they are normal :>  My dad, who was always getting a kick out of bizarre stories especially if I believed him. He said my holes were created by the doctor when I was born.  Supposedly I was stuck in the birth canal and the doc used prongs to pull me out, hence the holes! Can you believe I used this explanation for the first 13+ years of my life?!  I had a lot of stinky ear incidents (in school I stuck pencils in the holes). My mom was always telling me to leave my ears alone, but I remember the holes itched. Finally I asked my doctor who told me there wasn't any truth to my dad's story and the best advice was to leave the holes alone and surgery may prove to be a solution.  I'm now in my 40's and I haven't had a stinky liquid discharge in about 5 yrs.   I've never broken any bones and I have a great immune system (best in family). I like the sprit hole idea!  My great-great grandmother was a spiritualist, someone who can supposedly communicate with the spirit world.  She actually headed her own church. Since this is hereditary, maybe she had holes too? Hmmm, an X-Files film script here????

[jilibean]

preauricular pit is the medical term.  According to this link, it is a development issue.  Good info site: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_small_hole_above_ear

[teetee2010]

i have no idea what the hole is or how it got there in the first place but the seeping smelly substance is bacteria caused by a tiny amount of grit or dirt finding its way in. you should all seek medical advice or apply some antiseptic cream to the affected area. a slight knock to infected area can resultin a cist or however you spell it. but yeh i used antiseptic cream Acriflex i would recommend for almost any infection graze burn or sting. hope it helps =]

[Nuttygiraffe74]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnoid_cyst.
I was born with a hole in the tops of both of my ears. It comes from my Dads side of the family, several family member have them. I had to squeeze the stinky white gunk out of my holes every day, The hole would sometimes get infected and swell up a lot. At the age of 18 I was lucky enough to see a Doctor who actually knew what it was. She told me they are called pre congenital arachnoid sinues. The Doctor put me forward for a operation and I had both of the sinuses removed. I was told that under the skin the tubes that lead to the holes grow like the roots of a tree, which is what I had removed. The op was the best thing ever, Im now 36 and the sinuses have never come back and its great!
Hope this helps

[GreenzQueen244]

I am 14 and my aunt has it and she says its called a stubborn hole!! She said that when someone is really stubborn they have it..I am from the Caribbean....thats what ive been told n i am very stubborn from both of my parents and possibly from this hole!!

[blibli]

Can this possibly be connected with Brachio-oto Renal Syndrome? Check it out.

[www_tramshopping_com]

When I was 13 the bump grew and the dr. Popped it. My sister and the dr told me a lil black came out. Ever since the surgery, that smell came and it reeks. One time I was in front of my ex house and my ear itched. I had to rub it. His friend was w us also. She said what's that smell, it smells like a stinky cat or something? I was so embarrassed. Of course, I didn't admit. 10 yrs later I went to see an ear doctors. I had surgery again. He told me the whole of bacteria was deep. He said he tried to take out as much as he could. I thought the puss will go away afterall. Now yrs passed and its still the same but less puss. I think this infection is very normal and unfortunate.

[anngelic624]

I've gone through everything you guys have described.  My dad and one of my sisters have one.  I have one on each ear. It always leaks the smelly yellow/white stuff.  When I was in high school it got infected.  Something got into the hole in the left ear and it became really swollen.  It swelled to the size of a golf ball.  I went to a specialist and he had to drain it before he could operate.  He stuck a tube into it and drained it for a week, then I had the surgery.  He tried to remove all the bacteria before he sewed the hole closed.  I don't know what happend but I figure the yellow/white stuff had nowhere to go after he closed the hole and, not long after, it got infected again.  A different doctor simply made a small cut with his scalpel to let the puss out and let it heal naturally.  He didn't close it.  Now I have a scar but the hole is still there and the yellow/white stuff can make its way out.  It still leaks but hasn't gotten infected in over 10 years.

[Casual68]

I believe what you have is 'pre auricular pits'  it can get infected an also look up videos of what you need to do in order to have it removed...

[GlennyWS]

Hi
I have the same thing as well.  Had it operated on  3 times most recent was back in Dec 2010.  It hurts so much when its infected and the surgery is no fun as well.  I know alot of other people who has them as well but thiers never gets infected.  This last infection really shocked me as my prior surgery was 15 years ago (i thought it was taken care of). The interestting thing is that its not confined to the ear alone i have friends who have it on their neck or in thier back (gross i know). After my last surgery, i decided to go and see a specialist but as far as removing it....i would never do that.  In a rather wierd way i feel it helps define me..i know it sound ridiculous. lol.      

[cody877]

Ive been to two doctors for my preauricular cyst. it is on my right ear. a yellowish liquid comes out like a lot of you all. The first doctor recommended going under the knife and cutting it out, I always like a second opinion from another doctor before i do something serious like have surgery. The second doctor said that his daughter has the same thing, however he won't let her get it removed because the cyst is near some nerve for your eye and it can be damaged or severed causing you to not be able to use that eye lid so ill pass on the surgery.

[jivee]

Wow that's crazy I thought I was the only person with this defect. I have one in my left ear and I hate it because when it releases that fluid I can smell it and its very uncomfortable.  Usually I get a klenex with a little bit of water soap to get away with the smell it's embarrassing because my girlfriend told me once hey your ear smells funny lol, I do hope someone out there can develop some kind of cure or treatment for it but it feels really good to know that I'm not the only one.

[Efra]

Yeah. I got it too left side but I get yellow thing only when I press, I think the doctor poke with a needle when your were still on your moms stomach, that what my mom told that the doctor poke her with a needle sorry for my spelling not so good at English, I was born in Chicago hospital: university of illinois

[blessed243]

I am 57 years old, and my grandmother told me when I was about 5 years old that will have special gifts as I got older and would be able to see spirits or things that others cannot see. I didn't understand at that time, but as I have grown, I found out what she meant and I know without a doubt, that I am gifted. I have had dreams that later on became a reality, that happened a few times, and it was really scary. Then I started remembering what my grandmother used to tell me. My mother told me that I was born with a veil (a small layer of skin) over my face which connected to the hole on the top of my left ear. I have never had any infections, itching, or swelling, but I wash it daily as I wash my face because it does smell bad. If it's not leaking, but I see something in the hole, I press on it (like you would a zit) the fluid comes out, I wash it with soap and keep moving. I think you should keep it clean as you do the rest of your body on a daily basis and do not stick objects in it (why would you want to do that?) and just know that you are special and don't worry about it, because GOD put it there for whatever reason and it is what it is. Be blessed!

[snazza259]

I had the exact same thing, I got mine removed last year and it never bugged me again, you should get a appointment with your local ear nose and throat doctor, they will look after you

[texhb]

I think the little hole we have above our ear/ears is actualy some type of scar from a CIA experament, kinda like MKultra or like a tracking devise or something. What do you think? Mind control.................

[arash1978]

I have the same problem since I was born. Mine gets infected once every two or three years. I have the whole in the middle of my ear. The odd thing is after my ear got infected for the first time in 2005 my ear's color changes to black. I did the surgery when I was 7 and they took it out but it came back and the reason I found out is this cyst is connected to the other cyst in my face and neck. I went to USC university and they told me if you want to do the surgery they should open the left side of my face and neck and my ear to take out the cyst. They told me the surgery is very big for the small thing. The only problem now is when it is get infected I have lots of pain and I open it personally. Please let me know if you have any suggestion.

Thanks

[arash1978]

I have the same problem since I was born. Mine gets infected once every two or three years. I have the whole in the middle of my ear. The odd thing is after my ear got infected for the first time in 2005 my ear's color changes to black. I did the surgery when I was 7 and they took it out but it came back and the reason I found out is this cyst is connected to the other cyst in my face and neck. I went to USC university and they told me if you want to do the surgery they should open the left side of my face and neck and my ear to take out the cyst. They told me the surgery is very big for the small thing. The only problem now is when it is get infected I have lots of pain and I open it personally. Please let me know if you have any suggestion.

Thanks

[SirVix]

I just read every comment so far, i'm surprised how many of you there are! I've had them on both sides since I was born, got them from my mother, via her mother; but I have them (26 year old male) and my sister, my only other sibling, does not.

It's kind of crazy that a couple of you have said that people with these holes have never broken a bone, which is also the case with me. One of you also said they were described to you as "stubborn holes" which is definitely how people who know me well would describe me. Others of you have said you have really good immune systems, which I don't really have; I get one or two head colds a year, but never get the stomach flu, have only puked once since 3rd grade due to food poisoning, never to sickness. Also I get very few headaches, no idea if these have anything to due with the holes, just throwing it out there.

I used to stick earrings and whatnot in them for people to be funny, like lots of you mine were mistaken for piercings, nobody has ever noticed the smell except my girlfriend who obviously gets very close. Mine don't leak a physical puss, the little that comes out is rather runny and dries on my finger instantly but does smell bad. I have never had them get infected, neither has my mother or grandmother, they were never associated in my family with anything bad, nobody has ever had problems with them, or had them removed, they have just been a funny feature. I never heard of them being infected until coming here and reading everyone's problems with them. I probably rub on them several times a day and not to be gross, but just wipe off my finger on my pant leg or something. I've never paid attention to whether or not my hands were clean when doing so, and have never in my life even cleaned them out with soap or a qtip, and they've still never been infected, which seems lucky after reading what some of you have been through. Maybe since i drain on them all day long (never realized that's what i was doing) they stay uninfected. Sometimes a hard crust will form, and i'll just break it and rub out the fluid anyways. (can't believe i'm talking about this...) One of you also said it felt like there was more fluid when it was hot out and you were outside, which happens to me as well. I feel like it is the result of sunscreen getting on and around them, or sweat, could be wrong. Perhaps we have sweat glands inside them like in the surface of our skin?.

It's really funny that i've only met one person in my life non-family who had them (just on one side) and nobody else had ever even heard of them, and the earring thing was a common party trick for a while so even despite putting it out there alot that I had them, I still never spoke with anyone who had even heard of them. I guess I was just discreet enough  for people to not notice the smell (and now that I think of it, it's an unconscious habit for me to wipe them off before walking into a room with people, etc) or thought nothing of me wiping the earring afterwards before giving it back to the girl I had borrowed it from, haha!

[SirVix]

I just read every comment so far, i'm surprised how many of you there are! I've had them on both sides since I was born, got them from my mother, via her mother; but I have them (26 year old male) and my sister, my only other sibling, does not.

It's kind of crazy that a couple of you have said that people with these holes have never broken a bone, which is also the case with me. One of you also said they were described to you as "stubborn holes" which is definitely how people who know me well would describe me. Others of you have said you have really good immune systems, which I don't really have; I get one or two head colds a year, but never get the stomach flu, have only puked once since 3rd grade due to food poisoning, never to sickness. Also I get very few headaches, no idea if these have anything to due with the holes, just throwing it out there.

I used to stick earrings and whatnot in them for people to be funny, like lots of you mine were mistaken for piercings, nobody has ever noticed the smell except my girlfriend who obviously gets very close. Mine don't leak a physical puss, the little that comes out is rather runny and dries on my finger instantly but does smell bad. I have never had them get infected, neither has my mother or grandmother, they were never associated in my family with anything bad, nobody has ever had problems with them, or had them removed, they have just been a funny feature. I never heard of them being infected until coming here and reading everyone's problems with them. I probably rub on them several times a day and not to be gross, but just wipe off my finger on my pant leg or something. I've never paid attention to whether or not my hands were clean when doing so, and have never in my life even cleaned them out with soap or a qtip, and they've still never been infected, which seems lucky after reading what some of you have been through. Maybe since i drain on them all day long (never realized that's what i was doing) they stay uninfected. Sometimes a hard crust will form, and i'll just break it and rub out the fluid anyways. (can't believe i'm talking about this...) One of you also said it felt like there was more fluid when it was hot out and you were outside, which happens to me as well. I feel like it is the result of sunscreen getting on and around them, or sweat, could be wrong. Perhaps we have sweat glands inside them like in the surface of our skin?.

It's really funny that i've only met one person in my life non-family who had them (just on one side) and nobody else had ever even heard of them, and the earring thing was a common party trick for a while so even despite putting it out there alot that I had them, I still never spoke with anyone who had even heard of them. I guess I was just discreet enough  for people to not notice the smell (and now that I think of it, it's an unconscious habit for me to wipe them off before walking into a room with people, etc) or thought nothing of me wiping the earring afterwards before giving it back to the girl I had borrowed it from, haha!

[gyubok]

my girlfriend have this and it smells so bad that i want to smell it again and again (like reverse psychology?). anyways im okay with it because it makes her unique... like all of you guys!

[stevehuynh95]

thanks goodness, my gf almost broke up with me because she said i stank.
so i showed her this website, hopefully she can get a better understanding.

[Dangled]

My dad had a couple of it in his back. I remember he would ask my step mom to ***** it just like a zit. Bad smelling almost sticky white substance would come out. I think he tried surgery but it comes back after a while so he just left it alone and just ***** it when he knows it's time to let the smelly thing out. I have it in both ears. In grade school the right side was mostly the one excreting

[Dangled]

... the smelly Substance but as I grew up the left side started excreting the substance, now am 37 and have no problem with the right side only on the left side occasionally. When it itches I know that's the time that I have to drain it, and that's what I do. Some of you say maybe it has something to do with the weather and food or lifestyle, I think maybe it does. I have three daughters and only one of them has it, in both her ears also. My brother also has it on one ear only. It's ok that we either live with it or have a surgical procedure done as to help with the problem. But I really hope there can be something done, like a cream or a medicine for the smell and to lessen or totally stop the excreting of the smelly substance. This forum has been very helpful to me in understanding this issue. I've always been so embarrassed about this defect. Thanks to all the information.

[lovelysara1991]

I have the same exact thing but mine is on my left ear and no one in my family has had it? Mine is located at the crease of my ear close to my head. Mine leaks out puss like stuff also but on occasions and I understand that it is embarrasing. I have had mine my whole life also and I am self consious of mine and won't let any oone touch it. I try to clean it regularly. Sometimes the puss comes out various times a day and it also itches. I would like to know what it is also please :x thanks.

[neldabean]

Hi, both my husband and one of my sons have the preauricular pits. My husband is 32 and has them in both ears and my son is 3 and has it on his right ear. My husband had no clue what the little smelly holes were until our son was born and I noticed them. I showed it to my friend who studied midwifery and she was oh those are preauricular pits! All those years thinking you were a alien!! lol

When I met him they both leaked and smelled now only his lest one does. My sons only "leaks" when I push on the base of it when it looks full. We noticed when we stopped eating dairy that my husbands don't leak at all. So we did a little experiment. He ate cheese and about 1/2 later the darn thing leaked! Weird!! So he tries not to eat much of it. I really think diet has a big play in how often and how stinky they can get.

Hope this helps someone. :)

[toko113]

I have the same issue and the doctors have told me that I have a whole in the eardrum. Sometimes there's liquidy yellowish thing coming out my ear and the odor is really weird and smelly!!!! He said many people have this issue and that it will be okay and that hearing wont decrease, although some do get surgeries done. Also, your always recommended and told not to get water in that ear because, it can cause and infection which will increase your chances of a surgery and other problems. I've had it all my life on both years, but it healed on my right year and now I only have it in my left and like you said, I have a bump behind my ear that's bigger that my normal right ear.

[bellabimba]

OMG!! I only thought to research this the other day after having it all my life. It so cool to see other people have. I think I am one of the lucky ones as mine has never leaked, isn't on a bump and doesn't smell. It just looks like an ear peircing. Sometimes when I rub it my finger smells a bit stinky but thats all. My grandmother has one too so it might be genetic. I have a very good imune system and have never broken a bone. After reading this I am worried about it becoming infected as it sounds kinda gross. No one has ever really noticed it, when I was about 9 my friends thought that i had had my ear pierced up there and I would just go along with it. I only just showed my close friends today and they said that they had never noticed it on me before and thought it was really cool! I like mine as I think its really unique and am proud to be part of the club. When I get home I am sooooo gonna try and put an earing in t!!! :D

[Brenda952]

You maybe have Bot flies

[duskmoon]

I have exactly the same thing on my right ear I always thought that I was the only one to have it. mine excretes whitish substance and it is not a big deal since it just excretes when it is rubbed after it itched glad to know I'm not the only one :)

[catv789]

I have them too! I have had them all my life and I am 40 yrs old!  I now know what they are!!!!!! Yes!  Mine are not bumps but just look like a little hole. Mine do leak and it's usually clear fluid.  I got them from my dad and my siblings have them as well.  My boyfriend calls them gills.lol  

[Squeetthang]

I too HAD preauricular pit as well. Mine started bothering me in my late teens and severely in my early 20's; it started to smell and continued to itch pretty bad.

I had my ear, nose, throat doctor take them out. If you want/need to have your pits removed, I would HIGHLY suggest a ENT doctor, as the pits can be quite deep (I had one that took over an hour to extract) and it is VERY important that the entire pit be excised.

I used to also stick earrings in them when I was a kid and freak out all my friends!

My mom always thought they were my special little marks and was slightly disappointed when I had them removed. (LOL!)

Interesting to finally have a name to go along with this. I don't remember asking the ENT doc what they were called before he removed them and for whatever reason, today (almost a decade later), I decided to do some research!

Interesting stuff!

[walktheworldnp]

My son has them and I use to call them ear dimples or tell people I had pierced his ears when he was born just to freak them out.  I recently learned they were called preauricular pits among other things.  So here's the thing... the whole time I breastfed my son, I use to gently massage all the gunk out of his ear with my clean hands while he was eating (not like I could do much else).  I fed him both sides every 3 hours, so he got a lot of cleanings.  Well, I've recently weaned him so the cleanings have stopped (other than regular baths) and now he's formed a horrible cyst.  It looks like it's ready to burst and he doesn't allow me to touch it.  I've taken him to instacare, but they didn't know what it was and just gave me a prescription for antibiotics.  So... to squeeze or not to squeeze... that is my question.  Online, all doctors seem opposed to the idea, saying it makes it worse, but then why didn't he have any infections during his regular ear massages/feedings? (And yes... the pus always smelled like parmesan... weird.)  And it seems like every doctor is pushing surgery.  I prefer to treat that as a last possible course of action... especially since his facial nerves are all wrapped up in their and I've heard that the surgeries aren't usually successful.  Any thoughts?

[Mousey0475]

I too have this condition, the whole extra hole in the ear thing.  As I have gotten older it has started to bother me more and more.  With the itching and smell.  Little discharge, but the smell, smells just like poop for a lack of a better word.  When it itches, boy does it itch.  I can scratch that thing for hours.

Nice to know that it can be excised out of your ear and head.  I wonder how far and big my tracts/ducts go?  I have always wanted it gone.  I only have it in my right side by my ear.  

Basically, I try to wash it everyday and keep it clean everyday.  I scrub it real good with soap and water.  Never had it infected, just a small cut at the opening from scratching to much.  Knock on wood..

[lgal11]

omg... I have been wondering if other people have this..because i only know people in my family who have it:My oldest brother and i think one of my aunts have it...my mom too...  its on my right ear...Mine usually looks like a regular ear piercing  but...sometimes it got infected...kind of alot on and of...only secreting a yellowish fluid ...

i am almost 18 now... But im pretty sure i got the surgery  in 8th grade when i was in about 12/13 ish....  i am so glad that i had it done...its such a relief ..no longer have to worry about making sure water doesnt get into it (via shower or pool).. there was a risk of nerve damage..but thank god it turned out welll the scar healed up pretty well too... But i have heard the stubborn thing too.....because my brother n i are stubborn..Plus i dont think its only prevalent amongst asians cuz im nigerian american.... Yay im not alone i think i might have a sixth sense tooo...Lol

[20almost21]

i have one..never broken any bones..have a good immune system...and always thought i was an alien, adopted, or that it was from some experiment done. never hurts..does leak sometimes when i press on it.. sometimes smells fishy but it evaporates off my finger almost instantaneously..i have dreams that later actually happen :O  no lie..i want it to go away :'( i would rather not be "different" being smelly and weird :/

[kimo970]

YES FINALLY I FOUND PEOPLE LIKE ME, this thing wasnt such a big deal till i was 10, then as i grow it just gets more of the white stuff out, and now im 14 it gets MUCH MORE liquid daily, sometimes i try to resist because when i itch it, the upper part of my ear where the hole is grows, i have one on my right ear, i didnt care so much until yesterday when i pressed it to get the stuff out it got out that white stuff WITH BLOOD so i was concerned, btw i live in egypt so cuz of the heat it gets alot of that stuff, and also sometimes when i press around it and i get that white stuff out its kind of a solid with same smell, but i got used to the smell though :D , im still concerned :S

[tao1980]

I can't believe after all this time, I have only now decided to do research on what I think is quite a unique & cool birth "mutation" ! I'm so glad to have read all these comments even though what some folks experienced are quite extreme.

I'm a 31 year old female from the Caribbean. I was born with a pre auricular pit only on my right ear. The hole is small & cute. People always thought it was a piercing since I have lots of piercings. Funny enough when I was younger, people never noticed nor asked me about it as much as they do now. I always have to keep saying "I was born with it. I have no idea what it is." Now I can finally give it a name. It is rare to be born with it and it is definitely hereditary. My aunt on my dad's side has them on both ears. One of her daughters got it but only on her left side. My aunt on my mom's side also has it on her right ear only. It's so funny because my parents do not have it.

It itches from time to time but only when the fluid seems to want to drain out. When I realise that, I just clean it by pressing on it with a damp tissue until all the liquid oozes out. Then put some antiseptic to kill the germs and the weird smell. I have never gotten any infections because I guess I always cleaned it properly and regularly.
Folks who got those bad infections and had to undergo surgery probably never cleaned it so the accumulation of the fluid over a period of time caused bacteria to develop.

As some folks mentioned above I really feel special to have it as I do have a great immune system and a heightened "sixth" sense. Maybe it is true about it being "spirit holes". I wish I had them on BOTH ears. I LOVE having a pre auricular pit and wouldn't change it for the world!!

[yieldsign]

it is somewhat a birth defect and genetic as well. Some of my relatives have it. I remember I had an infection once when I was younger and my father used boar hair to clean it out. Since then i never had any infection, but unfortunately I squeeze out the puss often because if you don't, it spreads and stretches the skin inside to enlarge the area for more puss to contain, then eventually collects bacteria and that will not be good.

[yieldsign]

in your case... you should pierce you ear. At least the pit out. Get rid of it because it can cause you harm in the long run. It is easier and safer to remove the pit that is not attached to your head.. like most of us.

[yieldsign]

My cousin removed his, but it left a nasty scar. I have it too. You just need to squeeze out the puss as often as possible. It will stretch and build up if you don't. like cleaning your ear... the less you do it, the more wax will be in there and it will collect dust/debris and make it smell or turn it into bacteria. The stretch part is because the hole is pretty tiny, it's hard to come out o it's own at times, so it builds up. I know quite a bit about it because a lot of my ancestors have it. They call it Chicken ear.

[yieldsign]

pluck a fresh boar hair... use the root part.. stick it in the hole. twist it around.. it will help a lot. my dad did that for me when i was younger... and no more infection, though i still have to squeeze out the puss as often as i remember to

[igodlyatk]

I am 15 years old and i have a ear pit on my Daith, with is currently infected. My mother doesn't understand how severe the pain is and keeps pushing me to let her squeeze it. Its about the size of maybe a blueberry. The liquid usually differs as i grow older, yellow when i was small, brownish when i was around eight and now its clear, with a unfamiliar odor. Any ideas on how to stop pain? would a Tylenol help it?

[kundan493]

OMG... i thought i was the only 1....thx god i have a lodz of frenz.
actually i didnt have it... but when i was i think 10... from my left ear this very stinky goo used to come out frequently and it was yellowish brown colour... i didnt know what to do and that time it didnt pain... but now m 17 and right now its hurtiing veryy badly and m almost to cry and it also bleeds frequently... i dont know what to do :(((
i have been putting ear pain relieve drops but its not helping at all :'(
what should i do??

[winky4611]

I am 58 of course was born with 2 holes  in my upper ears , itching swelling and infection in the right upper had to get drained , what I would like to know I get migraines . since I was 3 years old .. and one else get migraines ?

[adrian113267]

After seeing an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist for my 3 yr old Grand-
daughter, she is scheduled for surgery next week.  According to the Dr.
after several infections and antibiotics the next step is surgery or it will continue to progress and worsen.  So, I would contact your Dr. and ask about surgery.  New technique called, "inside out"  so it does not come back.

[mbholland]

I have one at the top of right ear. My father had one on both ears and so did my brother. My neice has one left ear.. The puss now flows to my ear lobe and I have to squeeze and man does ity stink.

[mbholland]

I have one at the top of right ear. My father had one on both ears and so did my brother. My neice has one left ear.. The puss now flows to my ear lobe and I have to squeeze and man does ity stink.

[mbholland]

My brothers was dry and so is my neice. I did not have that luck.

[mbholland]

After posting my earlier message and reading the messages of others I have decided we are just evolving faster than the average person.

[shnngns24]

I did have the same problem growing up until I went to an ear, nose, throat specialist. He scheduled an appointment to conduct the surgery at the local hospital. He sliced open the skin going right across the hole and pulled out multiple sacks of puss. Sewed me up and I was on my way. Pretty gross but luckily they put me out for the surgery.  

[Kezha]

ohhh me 2 ive got 3 holes on both side of my upper ear ..the hole are positioned exactly as the other also the weird thing is dat all the holes in each side have different size running from small to big n bigger

[Kezha]

4got to mention i havent had any problem with the hole it doesnt smell though it produces some sort of dry substances also im da onli one in my family with

[Toongal]

I have the exact same placement of the hole as runner07.. Had it since birth.. The hole looks like a piercing, is clearly visible and smells darn awful when aggravated.. Highly embarrassing and unsightly since I'm a woman..
I once had a bad reaction to all the pus when I was 13 which resulted in immediate surgery.. However, the docs could not take out the sac containing the pus since I was so young.. I'm 31 now and this stupid hole continues to bothers me...
What is the precise medical term for this ear condition - simply 'fistula'? Bummed to learn that it could be genetically passed on to your kids. Eeeek..!!

[firelady1]

I Was born with these holes over both ears i was told you are suppose to be gifted n the spirit world. mine never bothers me but i get a white pulse fm them sometime; this may be true sometime i can see things and people that i never knew and warn people before sometimes i'm scared to sleep cause i see so much.

[Choochootran]

When I was five ish I remember my dad would lay me down every night and clean it out for me.  He would squeeze it and then clean it with peroxide. I was young but it did help I think.  Once in awhile it still gets really swollen but I just have to clean it out twice a day until it gets better. So I think you should. It might hurt for the first few times but it will get better!

[ouchmyear]

I am a 26 year old white male. I have a hole in both of my ears in both "pre-auricular" areas, but only one is active. My mother and my uncle were also blessed with these. My pre-auricular sinus/cyst has haunted me for years now. Throughout my life like everyone else, when it was hot it leaked (ie. shower, phone to ear, hot/humid weather). That's when I had a hole there. I was sick of the leakage all the time, and finally it got infected and all this thick yellow puss came out when I was 21 so I decided to get it excised/taken out. It had never been infected that bad.

So I went to the doctor set it up, and had the surgery. It didn't hurt. They put you to sleep. After this is where it all went wrong. They stitched up the wound and now I had no "hole" for drainage. For the next 5 years with no "hole" there now, the cyst would become infected at least once every 6 months like clock work and have to be lanced. I cut it three times myself. You get sick of spending $400 for someone to "poke" an oversized pimple with a razorblade. And waiting for that dude to come to a head with no "hole" *****....pain..pain..pain. It was either surgery again or deal with the 4 weeks of infection and pain every time before the big POP. And to top it off since it's closed and no drain hole the puss would get so infected it would be green.(dark green eww, and man did it stink)

So Wednsday I got surgery again. The nurse said they removed a bunch of tissue. I was figuring with it all closed up like that and no where to drain the sinus/cyst was branching off all over my face. When it got infected I could feel pressure on my teeth! Anyways if I'd known it would have been like this I probably would have left it in there at 21, but I still wouldn't have liked stuff draining out of my ear and stinking. CATCH 22. And that's my story about living with a pre-auricular sinus/cyst.

[Living247]

I have the hole in both ears since birth (over 40yrs) and seen multiple ENTs doctors. I was told that there is a surgical procedure. to remove it but may not be worth it. The one on my left side sometimes swells and stinks when a liquid comes out. I use cold water..alcohol..and tissue to clean mine. After 1 or 2 days it subsides and the swelling goes down.

[cbinchi]

holy god do you even use puctuation and if you do when and if you tell me when then maybe I can read what you just wrote and I havent hear about this thing with little kids with periaucular pits seeing dead people but then I never actually thought much about it but hey maybe I will now and wow thats kinda freaky that people with brown oozing stuff coming out of a small hole in the ear would signify extrasensory perception but thats cools and all. By the way, the bown, stick, liquid oozing stuff? It's called pus. Your body is fighting infection, and not trying to communicate with uncle Morry who died in 1963.

Generally, bacterial infections are not usually construed as "sixth-sense".

[joe7881]

Did you have to bring her down? In your sentence above "I havent hear about this thing" it is (I haven’t heard about this thing) in the English dictionary the last time I checked. The World Wide Web has a huge number of people and may be some aliens. English is not every ones first language Mr Cbinchi  

Be nice.

[LuvMike]

I have the same hole on my right ear and it drains every month around the end of my menstrual cycle. WIERD! Read these posts makes me somewhat feel better about having this hole since I see that I am not alone.  Now what still bothers me is no one has mentioned the drainage around the menstrual time. Maybe it is a way for the body to rid itself of bacteria.

[cwoods79]

I saw this video on YouTube that describes Preauricular sinus/fistula and cysts and shows (pretty graphic) surgery of how they're removed.  It sounds like your doctor didn't remove all of the unhealthy tissue that lies under the hole.  It says in this video (at 7:57) that inadequate removal will result in recurrence & failed surgery:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-aUukFk-tY

[DM21DM]

ROFL ;-0 You are too funny. I am currently 61.5 yrs.old. I was born with a tiny hole in my left ear.(closest side to my face-middle part) My Maternal grandmother and my aunt(born with two ;-(  ) are the only family members that had them waaaay back then. Of course mine had to be the only one that swole my face up like a balloon every summer. (I don't remember a smell or itching) I remember having surgery at age 5 and the doctor said it was to "Remove A Bag Of Fluid" I think he mentioned "infection"
Doctors studied the whole body waaaay back then;-0. Apparently he was correct because I've never had a problem(I still remember being in the hospital for a long, long time)
In today's society  it's probably done in the office;-0 and back to work you go;-0!
I'm amazed at the number of "Fellow Spirit Holes;-0" Just Learned that Label and Loved It Because I love some "Jesus!"
My advice (1) Pray (2) Ask your physician if you could possibly have a "Bag of Fluid" inside that needs to be "Removed"
(3) Make certain to check references before ever allowing anyone to perform surgery on you! (You would be amazed at the number of surgeries that are performed because the physician has some bills due;-0) Blessings.

[Kroger93]

Anybody else with this hole ever experience some SERIOUSLY intense E.S.P. events?
After a few years of seeing some things that most people dont see and having a some intense premonitions that unmistakably came true scene for scene, I mentioned this to my parents a little while ago who then told me that they were told when I was a kid/baby that I would have heightened extra-sensory perception because of this hole above my ear.

[aisha2001]

I  as well have it on both my ears and so does my kids as well as my mom.. I was told they are called skin ducks.. well it really doesnt matter what its called but my brother and mother sergery (surgery) for it cause it had gotten puss and was making their face swollen..now iam scared because i might need it too..

[billiemay660]

I have the exact same thing. I have a hole in my right ear and it smells like crap. I was concerned so I went to a professional ear doctor and he told me that when fetuses are developing, they have a hole on both sides of their ears. As the fetus develops and is born, the holes fill up completely. Sometimes, that doesn't happen. This doesn't mean it's a bad thing, but it's best avoided to get it infected, or surgery is required.

Hope this helped!

[binks209]

I've had one for 20 years since birth and just this year when I got home from a canoe trip I noticed some dirt on my fistula. I cleaned it up but then I smelled this awful smell from where my finger had touched it so put a hot/warm washcloth on that spot and squeezed gently and pus came out. Before then I had never noticed or remember having any problems with it. It's really odd and I want to know why it does that and how to clean it better so it won't happen again, because it every once in awhile will fill with pus again. Sorry this is so gross and personal but I just want to know what the heck it it!

[lambotastic]

I had the exact same horrible indescribable smell in the same place in my nose.  Really weird and gross.  What you have in your nose is most likely a staph infection. I'm suggesting this because I had one a few months ago with the same awful smell. It turns out that my sinuses were impacted so I assumed it was just a really bad sinus infection and was prescribed antibiotics.  It didn't go away so my Dr thought it could be staph and he swabbed for it. Results came back that I have it and according to my doctor it is fairly common about 20% of the population have staph bacteria living on the surface of the lining of the sinuses. The bacteria can be killed in the body by anti-biotic medicine but the ointment is necessary because the bacteria replicates so quickly. He prescribed both a pill for a sinus infection and an ointment anti-biotic to apply with a q-tip and it went away and hasn't returned. I still use the ointment because that smell was so bad it made me paranoid that it will come back the moment I stop. I'm sure that's not true but I'm not testing it.

Go see your doctor and they'll do a swab to test for it.  You'll know in a few days and be on your way to getting rid of that nasty smell.  Good luck

[lambotastic]

I had the exact same horrible indescribable smell in the same place in my nose.  Really weird and gross.  What you have in your nose is most likely a staph infection. I'm suggesting this because I had one a few months ago with the same awful smell. It turns out that my sinuses were impacted so I assumed it was just a really bad sinus infection and was prescribed antibiotics.  It didn't go away so my Dr thought it could be staph and he swabbed for it. Results came back that I have it and according to my doctor it is fairly common about 20% of the population have staph bacteria living on the surface of the lining of the sinuses. The bacteria can be killed in the body by anti-biotic medicine but the ointment is necessary because the bacteria replicates so quickly. He prescribed both a pill for a sinus infection and an ointment anti-biotic to apply with a q-tip and it went away and hasn't returned. I still use the ointment because that smell was so bad it made me paranoid that it will come back the moment I stop. I'm sure that's not true but I'm not testing it.

Go see your doctor and they'll do a swab to test for it.  You'll know in a few days and be on your way to getting rid of that nasty smell.  Good luck

[Bee165]

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one with this problem!! Mine is like a volcano, it erupts sometimes. I CANNOT STRESS IT ENOUGH how much I hate the stinky smelly liquid that's soooo embarrassing when it suddenly comes out. I would LOVE to know if there is some kind of surgery to take that whole piece of tunnel like thing in there to keep it from collecting stinky fluid.. damn this defect!!!

[angie_gree]

I was born with these...they were at the top of my ear where the ear and my face meet......my Dad had them and his grandmother. All of us had to have surgery to remove what my doctor called "grapevine cysts". After itching for a few days it would swell up to the size of a golf ball and would need to be lanced. After my surgery I have had little to no issues with sweeling, itching or the god awful smell.

[JCurry87]

I am so glad that I have found you all.  I don't know if what I have is the same thing, but I have a hole inside my ear, not too far from the opening.  That whole is, I'm guessing a tunnel to a hole in my neck.  The hole in my next looks like a dimple, but the hole inside my ear is without a doubt a hole.  Every since I can remember it has itched and I will mess with it and it will "drain".  It doesn't drain a whole bunch, it is a whitish color, and a little thicker than puss.  When I was baby through my toddler years I would get ear infections quite often.  When I really noticed it myself was when I was about 8-12 and that is when I learned how to itch it and "drain" it.  The small was horrible, I was so embarrassed.  I too would joke around with my friends and put an earring in my neck to try to make it funny instead of embarrassing.  Now I am 25, the hole still itches and drains, but it does not stink like it used to.  It still has a smell, but not the same overwhelming smell like before, this one is more of a greasy hair smell, if that make sense.  I'm so blessed to have not experienced the same trouble that some of you have had to deal with.  I don't know if because mine has an outlet that it doesn't swell all up and cause problems for be.  Don't get me wrong it is bothersome, but nothing to what some have had to deal with.  I did go to an ENT when I was 20 and they sort of explain it to me as to it didn't fully develop from being in the womb, and that I could have surgery, but there was 50/50 chance of me loosing all nerve endings in the left side of my face, which was just a chance that I did not want to take.  I have noticed that mine itches not so much, especially since we have been in winter months.  When I do a lot of swimming and things of that nature it bothers it a lot more.  The other day my husband found the hole in my ear and told me about where it was located so I could get a good vision to where it was, I think that mine drains more, because the hole is right inside my ear and water gets in there.  After a shower or swimming it become irritated and I have to drain it, then the secretion is water, which make sense now.  I hope this helps, and if someone has a tunnel like mine, it would be nice to see what you go through..  Thanks for letting me know that I am not alone in this matter, I have been looking at everyone's ears since I stated reading this forum to see if I can find others with the same thing.  God Bless :)