but it’s common across all age groups.
Nearly 50 million people in the United States have acne at any given time. It’s the most common skin condition in the country.
Pimples can form anywhere, though they primarily affect the areas with the most oil glands. This includes your face and your back.
It’s not uncommon for pimples to form inside of your ear, too. Pimples in your ear can usually be treated at home without guidance from your doctor.
We’ll cover more about what causes pimples to form in your ear and how to make them go away.
Acne is a broad term that describes a variety of skin conditions. It refers to everything from whiteheads and blackheads to cysts and nodules.
A whitehead occurs when oil, or sebum, clogs a pore. A blackhead occurs when sebum is exposed to air and turns dark. The sac under the skin can break, become irritated, or even infected, leading to the formation of cysts and nodules.
Acne in its various forms can appear in your ear, like in the outer ear (auricle) and the external ear canal. The skin of the outer ear covers cartilage and a small amount of fat. The skin of the ear canal has hair cells as well as glands that produce oil and ear wax.
If these glands produce too much oil, it may cause acne to form in your ear. This can also happen when dead skin cells or bacteria build up in your pores.
When these things happen, you may develop a pimple in the affected area. A pimple will form in your ear if the oil is unable to escape or bacteria grows in a clogged pore.
A buildup in bacteria can be caused by a few things, such as sticking your finger in your ear or using earbuds or headphones that aren’t cleaned often.
Other causes of acne include stress and a hormonal imbalance.
The same things that cause acne elsewhere on the body can also cause pimples in the ear. However, due to the sensitive nature of the ear, acne in this location has to be treated with care.
