# Cracked ear lobe



## Gitti

My grandson has a cracked ear lobe. It's where the ear lobe connects to the face on the bottom. Around the area it looks like a popped blister. The skin is red and moist.
And from the crack there is fluid seeping and once in a while a drop of fluid will just drip out. Like a tear drop.
The crack burns.

What can it be?

We've been using tea tree oil for four days now three or four times a day. But it actually looks like it's getting worse.

His mom said he had it last fall and winter but it never got this bad.

Any suggestions? Please.


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## HeatherHeather

I would try lanolin on it. It works on cracked nipples great, so I figure it would on his ear as well. I'm guessing since he had it last year, that it is some kind of dry skin issue. Does he pick at it at all - maybe
subconsciously when he's thinking/sleeping/etc.?

The fluid leaking out is probably just the body trying to heal itself.

I would try the lanolin and make sure he washes well behind/around his ears (after it clears up) and uses a moisturizer. Sorry I don't have better info.


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## Peppermint

I have had that before, and I left it alone and it cleared up, if I had it today, I would treat it like any other infection-type thing and just take some extra Sodium Ascorbate. Sorry I can't be of more help, but I can say it cleared up on it's own, no TTO, nothing.


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## HeatherHeather

I just wanted to add that when it does heal, it will get all crusty. Make sure he doesn't pick at it or it will take longer to heal. I also think it will heal faster if he doesn't get it wet. Maybe he could bathe and wash his hair as little as possible until it heals.


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## roxyrox

I have had something similar on my ear - it seems to come every winter in exact same spot - on my left ear,exactly where you describe, and on my leg. I use a steriod cream and it goes within 24 hours . My doctor says it's impetigo but it is not, I am sure. it comes in the same spot every time. The steriod cream does work but I really don't know the cause.


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## Gitti

He does NOT pick at it, not even unconsciously. It burns and he does not want to touch it at all. He is very good about washing and keeping clean. Of course he does have dirty hands all day long in school... (9 years old)

I though it might be impetigo, and that's what it looks like to me, too. But why would it come only in winter? And heal in summer?

He is outside all the time. Even when it's cold and raining. He is not an inside kid at all. So, plenty of sunshine. He eats very well, mostly organic, no milk, no hormones, no meat. Lots and lots of fruit and veggies. I would say he has about the best diet of any kid I can think of.

I just can't figure out what it is?

If it is impetigo, why only in winter, and why does it heal in summer?

Steroid cream and the like is NOT an option.


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## Gitti

I've been searching and I do think it is impetigo. Would colloidal silver locally be any good for that? I happen to have some at home.


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## 2busy2clean

If you could cover it with a band aid, I'd suggest trying honey one night and see if that improves it or not.
Sorry I'm not much help though.


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## Gitti

Well we put the colloidal silver on it and he is already in bed now. But I might try the honey in the morning. Thanks.


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## CallMeIshmael

Cracks where the earlobe meets the face are pretty classic for atopic dermatitis (i.e., eczema), which is often worse in winter when the air is dry. Seborrheic dermatitis could also show up there as well, and it too would be exacerbated by the dry air of winter.

If it's all red and weepy, it sounds as if it may have gotten superinfected with staph aureus. Tea tree oil should take care of that, but it can also be really irritating, too -- might be making the redness and irritation worse. Maybe use it fewer times a day, or diluted? And the honey is worth a try, too.


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## Roxswood

Breastmilk? Would he tolerate it being wiped with breastmilk four to six times a day? This works wonders for me. Treat it like a cracked nipple with bm, leave it to dry and then lanolin or vaseline to keep it moist?


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## orca

Have you tried a Vitamin E cream with Calendula in it? It works wonders for all our wounds and sores. If the wound is open use a diluted Calendula tincture.


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## Gitti

We used tea tree oil for 4 days 3x q.d. and it made it look worse. Definitely did not help. So I am thinking it is not fungal.

I do not think it's eczema either because there is absolutely no eczema anywhere else on his body. He is 9 yr. old and has never had eczema anywhere.

We are now using colloidal silver for a few days to see what happens.

DD #2 will be here in a week and she's got lots of bm, so if by that time it's not better we will try it.

Thanks for all the suggestions. We will try them all if we have to, one at a time so I can see what really helps.


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## chasmyn

DS had this and the ped dxed it as exczema. We used Burt's Bees lotion and kept it hydrated that way. He never had it any other place on his body either.


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## momto l&a

Neem oil helps but it also burns like tea tree oil.


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## crissaegrim

*Cracked Ear Lobe Issues*

I suffer from this, and personally don't know its source.

Here is a list of similar afflictions I deal with or have dealt with (I am a 34 year-old white male who has drank & smoked off and on in life):

BTW - I've had these things flux in and out of my life, and didn't smoke or drink until after my mid twenties. Drinking and smoking relate to this somewhat, as they influence your hygiene level / motivation to stay clean, and your hydration and ph. But drinking a ton of water isn't going to keep your skin on your face from burning/itching/scratching because you haven't shampoo'd or cleaned it in a while. Some of it is common sense.

TLDR version is: You should leave your ears alone and let them heal themselves. The crust needs to build up, the damaged/raw/open skin underneath needs probably a week to become normal again, and then the crust should just fall off. Similar to the pain in Satchel Paige's shoulder as he threw a slider down home plate, pre-emptively wincing at the assumed pain he'd experience: But nothing. It was a miracle. And so shall ye be a miracle with your ears.

- dermatisis of the face / nose. I had to get hydrocortisone with ionoquinol 5%, it feels GOOD to apply it, whereas moisturizers burn like hell. Don't put arbitrary stuff on it.
- dermatitis of the EYELASHES: This one was weird. People just thought I was sleepy. I had an overproduction of something causing the liquid in my eyes to dry up on my eyelashes, leaving 'sleep', or that gross shit. It falls under the family of crusty shit on your head you secretly get off on removing yourself instead of going to a doctor.
- dermatitis of the inner ear: just inner-ear crust. not unlike the stuff along the lower earlobe. The dermatitis of the face/nose only happened on my face and only while I was about 23
- eyebrow dandruff - Just kind of annoying. Nothing crazy, but I notice. As a smoker I like to remove the oil/residue leftover from the smoke.
- dermatitis of the facial hair: If I don't shampoo my facial hair (including my eyebrows, just lightly) I will accumulate dandruff and my skin reddens. It becomes irritated. The hair follicles themselves, if they happen to touch my skin, start to irritate it because it feels raw. This is from now washing my facial hair off correctly on a regular basis and can be avoided prety easily.
- dandruff: If I don't shower for a while (several days) or if I shower way too often with excess hot water, it can happen. The goal is to shower once a day without needing to do anything extreme. If you don't know if you use hot water, you probably do, and could stand to turn the temperature down to experiment with it for a few days to see if the scalp feels better.

- THIS EAR SHIT. On my earlobe. Man, it's annoying.

- I visited a doctor who investigated, he said that I should NOT wash it or use soap on this type of issue. He said that the soap / water can destroy the healing of the molecules in the area.

- Do not fuck with it. The stimulation alone feels like it causes it to spread: The crackling buildup others have described in this thread is not unlike mine, I deal with this as well. I spent all weekend in, inside, letting it crust up to just let it heal. constantly picking / removing "excess" platelets that have formed just rips away the healing tissue.

The goal is to feel nothing there - no pain, no relief, not anything. Guard your ears from getting eat or from letting anything touch it. Water would be okay ph-wise, but it will 
physically/chemically alter the healed tissue and erode it away, which is bad. Soap should burn: keep it away. I think you actually have to just wait this one out.

You can visit a doctor who can give you cream to let it heal quickly, which is good if your girlfriend likes to make out with your ear and you don't want to offer her your home-made Rice Krispy treat (fuck that is so gross) - or you can do it the old fashioned way. Or, rather, the way for old people who are stubborn pieces of shit: Just sit around and do absolutely nothing. It's actually better than actively cleaning and removing detritus from it, because that detritus is your plasma-blood trying to body-heal your stupid-ear.

Good luck.


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## simonaselvek

NEOSPORIN!!! I hope this reaches you in time, I have this happen to me all the time and nothing else soothes the area faster or heals it faster (results are visible over night). Please do him a favor and get this for him a.s.a.p. since the poor guy is probably experiencing a lot of discomfort.


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