Ear Lump and Ear Cyst: What Should I Do?

Have you noticed a lump growing behind or on your ear? Sometimes this ear lump or ear cyst may be painful as it is usually due to an infected skin cyst or sebaceous cyst. These ear lumps tend to be quite common and we often see them present at our Singapore ENT Clinics at Mount Elizabeth Novena and Gleneagles Hospitals.

Patients with such ear lumps may have had a smaller nodule in the same area behind the ear for some time which then became more swollen when infected. Careful examination may reveal a tiny punctum which looks like a spot from where cheesy debris may sometimes be squeezed out just like a pimple.

An experienced ENT specialist in Singapore can recognise straight away that this is an infected sebaceous cyst behind the ear. The inside of the ear canal is also examined to check for any connecting passage from the ear cyst to the ear canal, as this rarely may be due to a developmental problem. The ear cyst or ear lump usually needs to be drained via a small incision under local anaesthetic in clinic to release the trapped infected secretions. It is important to try to ensure that all the remaining lining of the infected ear cyst is removed, to minimise the risk of cyst recurrence. A course of antibiotics is prescribed after this minor procedure is performed. After draining the ear cyst, a small cavity is seen and this is washed out with antiseptic solution. The ear wound is then dressed with a short length of ribbon packing. It usually heals up nicely.

Some unlucky patients may even have these ear lumps on each ear i.e. two ear lumps in total. Both ear cysts can safely be removed in a similar minor surgical procedure under local anaesthetic by an experienced ENT doctor in Singapore. The one thing you should never do is to keep on squeezing and pressing the ear cyst, especially with your fingers, as this greatly increases the risk of ear infections!

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