Various health factors can lead to a bump behind ear on earlobe or on bone. The bump may be large or small (pea sized), hard or soft and movable. It may be painful and or painless and may occur after earlobe piercing. Explore facts, pictures, causes, signs, and symptoms of a bump behind ear. Furthermore, learn how to get rid of them with medical treatments and home remedies.
Signs and Symptoms of Bump Behind Ear
Is something wrong behind your ear? A bump behind the ear is a common condition that may occur to you. Usually, a strange lump can develop behind your ear typically on the earlobe or on the bone behind your ear.
Mostly, lumps behind ears aren’t signs of something serious. You should understand that a nodule or a lump behind your ear might be signs of a harmless condition that cannot advance into serious health problems.
In rare cases, a lump under the earlobe behind the jaw bone could be a symptom a serious infection. For this case, it is advisable to visit your medical doctor to help you in the diagnosis and treatment.
A bump behind your ear can appear in different signs and symptoms depending on the causal agent. They can vary in size as a tiny pimple, pea-sized or large lump. Also, they can be hard, bony, soft, or fluid-filled blisters.
The common signs and symptoms of a bump behind ear include:
- Hard or soft bump behind the earlobe
- Small, pea-sized or large lump
- Painful and itchy bump on the back of the ear
- Painless nodule behind the ear
- Swollen lymph node under the jaw born
- Redness, tender or inflamed earlobe
- Fixed or movable nodule under the skin behind the earlobe
- The pain inside the ear
- Clogged ear and lower ability to hear the sound
A lump behind your earlobe can also accompany other strange symptoms such as a sore throat, fever, headaches, and others. If you notice the above symptoms, you can consult your medical doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Bumps Behind Ear Causes
You can develop a bump behind your ear due to various causes. These causes can lead to either harmless or more serious health condition. Harmless causes are always associated with painless bump behind the ear.
Unlike harmless causes that do not require treatment, a bump behind the ear can also develop into a serious health condition that needs medical concern. It is important for you to learn possible factors that can lead to a condition of having a bump behind the ear. This can help in making a decision about to seek the help of your doctor.
The common possible causes that can lead to a bump behind the ear include:
1. Lipoma behind earlobe
Lipoma is a soft large painless bump that might appear anywhere on your skin. This bump can also develop behind your ear under the skin. Lipoma bump is made up of fatty tissue that may develop under your skin layer and they are totally painless and harmless.
2. Acne vulgaris
Acne is small bump or pimple that can develop on your skin when the hair pores are clogged. Acne can develop on your face and even behind your earlobe as small bump. Acne are usually painless bump but the can develop into painful skin condition if they are infected by skin bacteria.
3. Sebaceous cyst
A bump behind earlobe can develop as a consequence of sebaceous cysts. These are noncancerous lump that develop from sebaceous gland that are located beneath the skin surface. Sebaceous cysts are small painless and harmless bump that can develop anywhere on your skin.
4. Epidermoid cyst
Epidermoid cyst is a type of bump that can develop under your skin tissue when there is an overgrowth of epidermal cells. These bumps usually appear at the back of the neck and behind the ear. The epidermal cyst behind your ear is usually a painless and a harmless condition.
5. Infections
You can develop a lump under ear lobe behind jaw bone due to underlying infection of bacteria or virus. Strep throat, measles, chickenpox, HIV, and mononucleosis are some of the infection that can lead to swollen lymph node behind the ear.
6. Swollen lymph nodes
The lymph node under the earlobe behind the jaw bone can become swollen, inflamed, and painful when you are infected by bacteria or virus in your body.
7. Boil infection
Your skin can develop boil, furuncle or carbuncle as a consequence of bacterial infection of the oil glands. The infection of a boil on your skin can show up as large painful lump to the affected area that is filled with pus.
8. Mastoiditis
Mastoiditis is a serious ear condition that may develop after an ear infection is not treated. This condition can show up as hard or bony lump that develop behind the ear. Sometimes the condition can result in pus-filled bump to develop behind your ear.
9. Otitis media
Otitis media is a medical term used to describe the ear infection. The infection of the ear is caused by bacteria or virus that can show up symptoms such as painful swelling behind ear on bone.
10. Keloid behind earlobe
A bump behind ear could be keloid. This is a scar-like lump that develops from the overgrowth of the tissue of skin. They can appear after injuries or trauma on earlobe that can occur during the ear piercing procedure.
11. Skin cancer
Skin cancer is a rare chronic condition that can lead to hard bump behind your ears. However, the condition can occur anywhere on your body. This condition can show up as raised plagues or bumps that won’t heal easily.
12. Ingrown hair cysts
Ingrown hair cysts are also called razor bumps. They can develop behind your ears after shaving the hair very close to the skin. This bump may develop when the hair curls or grows sideways inside the follicle. Ingrown hair cyst might be slightly painful and they cannot develop into serious skin condition.
13. Exostosis
Exostosis is the growth of extra cartilage bone on top of the existing one. This condition is also called osteoma. A bump behind the ear on the bone could be osteoma lump. The bony bump is always painless and benign.
Pea Sized Bump Behind Ear
A bump on your ear can range in size from a tiny pimple to large nodule. However, most of the lumps that might develop behind the ear are a pea sized bump. Occasionally they can appear small or larger than the size of a pea.
The common condition that can lead to pea sized bump behind the ear includes boil, ingrown hair, keloid, Mastoiditis, Epidermoid cyst, sebaceous cyst, Lipoma, Otitis media, infected acne, and swollen lymph nodes.
Bump Behind Ear on Bone
Exostosis or osteoma is a common condition that can result in the development of a bony bump behind your ear on the bone. This condition may occur when an extra cartilage develops on top of the existing bone of your skull.
Other causes of a bump behind the ear that is already been discussed in the relevant section of the post can also lead to the formation of a lump on your ear bone. If the bump behind your ear bone is painful or is growing into large nodule than normal, you can visit your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
How to Get Rid of Bump Behind Ear
There are various treatment methods that you can use to get rid of a bump on the behind of your ear depending on the condition. You can use home remedies treatment method if the bump is small, painless or is not caused by serious health condition.
You can alternatively use a medical treatment method that can help to get rid of chronic bumps behind your ear that are likely to advance into more serious health complications.
Home Remedies
You can use the following home remedies that can help to treat small and benign bump behind your earlobe. They include:
1. Warm compress
Warm compressing the bump behind your ear is an excellent home remedy that can help to relieve swollen skin. The temperature of warm compress can help to increase blood circulation to the affected area which can initiate the healing process.
How to use:
- Place two cup of warm water in a small basin
- Soak a washcloth in the water
- Warm compress the affected area
- Repeat to warm compress it three times daily until the bump behind ear clear away
2. Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is an effective home remedy that can help to treat swelling behind the ear. It has antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties that can help to cure bump behind your earlobe.
How to use:
- Wash the affected skin area with warm water and pat dry it with a towel
- Use your fingers to apply the Aloe Vera cream or gel to the affected area
- Allow it to stay on your skin for the whole day or night
- Apply it two times daily until the bump behind your ear go away
3. Apple cider vinegar
You can apply the solution of apple cider vinegar on the bump as a home remedy. The reagent has the antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties that can help to treat a swollen bump on the back of your ear.
How to use:
- Soak the cotton ball into a solution of apple cider vinegar
- Apply it to the affected area of your skin
- Allow it to stay on your skin for about 15 minutes before rinsing it off
- Repeat this treatment three times daily until the lump behind your ear clear away
4. Lemon juice and raw honey
The combination of lemon juice and raw honey is an effective home remedy that can help to treat a bump behind ear. Lemon juice contains citric acid that has a powerful antiseptic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Raw honey has medicinal values that can help to soothe itchy bump and relieve swelling behind your ears.
How to use:
- Mix two teaspoons of lemon juice with 1 teaspoon of raw honey
- Apply the mixture to the affected area that has a bump behind ear
- Allow it to stay on your skin for about 20 minutes before you rinse it off with water
- Repeat this procedure three times daily until the bump clear away
5. Olive oil
Massaging a bump behind your ear with olive oil is an effective home remedy that you can use. The process of massaging the bump can help to spread the content of lump which can facilitate the healing. Also, olive oil has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties that can help to relieve swelling behind your ear.
How to use:
- Get the olive oil
- Dab few drops to the affected area
- Use your palm of your hand to rub the area gently in a circular motion for 5 minutes
- Repeat to massage it three times daily until the bump behind your ear clear away
6. Garlic
Garlic is an excellent home remedy that can help to treat various bumps on your skin. It has anti-inflammatory abilities that can help to cure swelling behind your ear.
How to use:
- Crush one clove of garlic and mix it with one glass of warm water
- Allow the mixture to stand
- Drink the garlic extract
- You can alternatively include a clove of garlic into your daily diet meal
Medical Treatment
You can use medical treatment to remove a bump back of your ears. You can visit your doctor to help you in diagnosis and treatment of your problem. Your doctor will determine the causes of the bump behind your ear using accurate diagnosis methods before giving you suitable treatments.
Some of the treatment method that your doctor might use to treat bump behind your ear include:
- Ointment creams: Your doctor can prescribe for you medicinal creams that can help to relieve swollen bump behind your ear.
- Oral medications: The doctor may prescribe for you oral medications that include antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory drugs that can help to cure bump behind the earlobe.
- Surgical treatment: Your doctor can use surgical procedures to remove a malignant or chronic growth from the back of your ears.
When to See a Doctor
You can see your doctor over a bump behind ear if you notice the following health complications:
- When the bump behind your ear has persisted for more than three weeks without going away
- When the lump behind your ear is growing into large nodule than normal that look worrisome
- If the bump is too painful or itchy
- When the bump behind your ear is associated with other strange symptoms such as headaches, fever, pain inside the ear and others
- If the bump causes difficulties in hearing the sound clearly
- If the bump has a characteristic of hard bump that can bleed easily
Sources & References
[showhide type=”links” more_text=”Show Sources and References” less_text=”Hide Sources and References”]
- Bump behind the ear: https://www.healthline.com/health/causes-lumps-behind-ears
- Signs and symptoms of a bump behind the ear: https://www.webmd.com/children/tc/swollen-glands-and-other-lumps-under-the-skin-topic-overview#1
- Causes of a bump behind the ear: https://www.doctorshealthpress.com/skin-care-articles/treating-lump-behind-ear/
- Causes of the lump behind the earlobe: https://www.belmarrahealth.com/painful-lump-behind-ear-5-common-types-symptoms-and-treatment/
- How to get rid of a bump behind the ear: http://www.healthspectra.com/lump-behind-ear/
- Home remedies for the bump behind the ear: https://www.fashionlady.in/best-home-remedies-for-lump-behind-ear-symptoms-and-causes/114120 [/showhide]
