Ear hair explained

Ear hair is the terminal hair arising from folliculary cartilage inside the external auditory meatus in humans.^[1] In its broader sense, ear hair may also include the fine vellus hair covering much of the ear, particularly at the prominent parts of the anterior ear, or even the abnormal hair growth as seen in hypertrichosis and hirsutism. Medical research on the function of ear hair is currently very scarce.

Hair growth within the ear canal is often observed to increase in older men,^[2] together with increased growth of nasal hair.^[3] Visible hair that protrudes from the ear canal is sometimes trimmed for cosmetic reasons.^[4] Excessive hair growth within or on the ear is known medically as auricular hypertrichosis.^[5] Some men, particularly in the male population of India, have coarse hair growth along the lower portion of the helix, a condition referred to as "having hairy pinnae" (hypertrichosis lanuginosa acquisita).^[6]

Structure

Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles in the dermis, or skin. With the exception of areas of glabrous skin, the human body is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fine vellus hair. It is an important biomaterial primarily composed of protein, notably keratin.

Clinical significance

• Hair that migrates so that it touches the eardrum may cause tinnitus.^[7]
• Folliculitis of ear hair may cause acute and localized otitis externa.^[8]
• Severe hypertrichosis of the external ear during minoxidil therapy, where excessive hair covers the ears, may cause ear canal occlusion, potentially resulting in partial or complete deafness.^[9]

Society and culture

Radhakant Bajpai, an Indian grocer, was recognized by Guinness in 2003 as having the longest ear hair in the world, measuring 13.2 cm. In a 2009 interview, when his hair had reached 25 cm, he said that he considered the long ear hair to be a symbol of luck and prosperity.

See also

• Hair disease
• Black hairy tongue
• Hypertrichosis

Notes and References

1. Web site: Swimmer's Ear: An Ear Canal Infection . W. Steven Pray . Steven Pray . Naveh Ltd. Licensed Distributor of Medical Pharmaceuticals . March 9, 2016.
2. Book: Leyner. Mark. Mark Leyner. Goldberg. Billy. Billy Goldberg. Why Do Men Have Nipples?: Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini . Google Books (preview). September 8, 2014. July 26, 2005. Crown Publishing Group. 9780307337047 .
3. News: Why Is Hair Growing Out of There?. Nagourney. Eric. December 13, 2012. The New York Times. September 8, 2014.
4. Book: Livingston, Ruth. Advanced Public Speaking: Dynamics and Techniques. September 8, 2014. June 17, 2010. Xlibris Corporation. 9781453508039. Google Books (preview) .
5. Book: Scott. Jackson. Lee T.. Nesbitt. Differential Diagnosis for the Dermatologist. April 25, 2012. October 24, 2014. Springer Science & Business Media. 978-3-642-28006-1. Google Books (preview) .
6. Web site: Otoscopy: The Pinna. October 26, 2014. Hawke Library. October 26, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141026234127/http://otoscopy.hawkelibrary.com/album05/6_15. dead.
7. News: Tinnitus Signs and Symptoms . UCSF Medical Center . University of California San Francisco . 2014-10-28 .
8. Web site: Otitis externa. Joseph P Garry . Feb 28, 2010 . Medscape.com . 2012-08-31.
9. Toriumi, MD . Dean . Raymond . Konior, MD . Berktold, MD . Robert . Severe hypertrichosis of the external ear canal during minoxidil therapy. . Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. August 1988 . 3390339. 114. 8 . 918–9. 10.1001/archotol.1988.01860200102029.