Seborrheic Keratosis in the Ear: What to Know

Seborrheic keratosis is a non-cancerous growth of the outer skin. Around the ear it may appear as a rough, waxy, stuck-on patch or bump. A lesion on the earlobe or behind the ear is different from one at the opening of, or inside, the ear canal. The latter location makes self-treatment especially risky.

An ear-area growth can also resemble a wart, mole, irritated skin, or another condition. A clinician may use a close visual examination and decide whether removal or a sample is appropriate rather than assuming every dark or scaly spot is the same.

Do not insert tools, acids, oils, or freezing products into the ear. Arrange an assessment if the growth rubs against glasses, headphones, masks, or jewellery, or if it repeatedly catches and bleeds. Treatment options for a confirmed outer-ear lesion can include cryotherapy, curettage and cautery, or electrosurgery.

Tell the clinician about hearing changes, ear operations, drainage, diabetes, immune problems, and medicines that affect bleeding or healing. Keep any treated area dry or covered exactly as advised, and avoid picking at a crust.

Seek prompt medical review for new hearing loss, severe ear pain, discharge, bleeding that does not stop, rapid enlargement, marked colour change, or a sore that does not heal. After treatment, spreading redness, warmth, pus, fever, or worsening pain needs assessment.

Ask exactly where the lesion begins, whether the ear canal is involved, how its diagnosis was made, which removal method protects nearby structures, and what symptoms should lead you to contact the clinic.