What is inside cauliflower ear?
Cauliflower ear, or “hematoma auris”, is a collection of blood between the cartilage of the ear and the skin. When the ear lobe is repetitively struck or bent, as in taking a helmet on and off, the underlying cartilage is traumatized.
Cauliflower ear, also known as perichondrial hematoma or wrestler's ear, is a deformity of the ear caused by trauma. Cauliflower ear occurs when blood pools in your pinna after it's been hit or struck. The pinna is your outer ear. This pooling of blood, known as a hematoma, needs to be treated right away.
Cauliflower ear occurs after someone gets a hit or repeated hits to the ear. Wrestlers and boxers are more likely to have cauliflower ear because their ears may be hit while they're in a match. These blows can damage the shape and structure of the outside of the ear.
The earlier a hematoma is treated, the less likely it is that it will progress to a cauliflower ear. After a few days, the pain and swelling generally subside. Left untreated, the ear remains lumpy and the swelling gradually hardens over the course of 7 to 10 days.
Causes of Cauliflower Ear
The most common cause of cauliflower ear is a hit to the ear -- or repeated hits to the ear -- that leads to hematomas, or small collections of blood that clot and block the flow of blood and nutrients.
Cartilage gets its blood supply from the skin. But when the skin separates from the cartilage, that blood can't reach its usual destination. Instead, it accumulates in the open space and clots underneath the skin. This disruption in blood flow, if left untreated, will cause the cartilage to die.
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Specialty | Otorhinolaryngology |
Your doctor will drain the blood clot that has formed beneath the skin and then bandage the ear tightly to stop blood from collecting there again. Still, sometimes the clot will come back, so you may have to have your ear checked every few days until it heals.
Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing that the prevalence of hearing loss among cauliflower ears is higher than this rate among non-cauliflower ears confirmed by audiological tests. This emphasizes that, more preventive measures such as mandatory ear gear for wrestlers are required.
UFC fighters have weird ears because of the blows their ears receive, which causes them to cramp up. That state of ears is called cauliflower ears. There are ways to minimize the damage and make the ears look somewhat nicer, but most fighters prefer them the way they are.
What happens if your ear is cut off?
The outer part of your ear, known as the pinna, funnels sound into your ear canal, like a megaphone in reverse. If someone cut it off, everything would sound quieter. (A wound that scabbed over would make the sound suppression more severe.)
Pus accumulates between the cartilage and the layer of connective tissue around it (perichondrium). Sometimes the pus cuts off the blood supply to the cartilage, destroying it and leading eventually to a deformed ear (called cauliflower ear). Perichondritis can be destructive, recur, and last a long time.

A cauliflower-like swelling can appear within minutes or hours after an ear injury. However, the blood clot under the skin takes days to kill the cartilage in the ear. In the meantime, a doctor can treat the ear, save the cartilage, and prevent a permanent cauliflower ear.
Red ears may be the result of your body flushing or blushing. Flushing also results in warm and burning skin. A main cause of flushing is an emotional reaction, resulting in your blood vessels opening wider in certain areas because of a signal in the nervous system.
Congenital deformities of the outer ear—that is, deformities of the visible ear and ear canal that are present from birth—are common. Approximately 1 in every 6,000 newborns has an outer ear deformity.
Cauliflower ear is a defect that forms due to hits or blows to the ear. It causes blood to clot under the skin, leading to a bump on the ear that looks like a head of cauliflower. If your child boxes or wrestles, wearing proper headgear can help prevent cauliflower ear.
Some important facts about the auricular hematoma (or “Cauliflower Ear”), and challenges you face in keeping your ears healthy and happy: It can take 5 to 10 days for a fluid filled ear to harden. It takes up to 8 weeks for the perichondrium to permanently attach to the cartilage surface.
Note that having good medical professionals drain your ear is the best method to stop serious deformity and prevent infection. While many athletes will have a teammate drain their ears for them, this is far more likely to result in recurring cauliflower ear and poses a risk of infection.
In order to treat cauliflower ear applying ice to the injury will help reduce swelling and inflammation as well as relieving pain. The use of dressings that provide compression are also advised to help reduce swelling.
Khabib's years of practice and his fights have resulted in these cauliflower ears and are now a part of his identity. And the fighter doesn't want to get any treatment done for this. He feels he is fine with his natural looks and treatment might make his ears look unattractive as a fighter.
What's up with khabib's ear?
Khabib Nurmagomedov
The former Lightweight champion grew up on the wrestling mats in Dagestan, which is where he developed his cauliflower ears.
For example, one hard takedown, while escaping a hold, or a single accidental punch can cause cauliflower ear. Why is this important? – Unlike a normal bruise where the clotted blood has somewhere to go, the blood in the ear has no escape, so it hardens exactly where it is and then becomes a permanent deformity.
If left untreated, the hematoma may be slowly reabsorbed but the associated inflammation will cause damage to the surrounding ear tissues resulting in a distorted, cauliflower-shaped ear that could obstruct the ear canal. Aural hematomas are very painful and, for an affected dog's welfare, should be treated promptly.
We do not know exactly what percentage of people have cauliflower ears, but we know from one study that 39-45% of the wrestlers have this condition.
Affected individuals develop a condition called ochronosis, in which connective tissue such as cartilage turns blue, grey or black due to the chronic accumulation of homogentisic acid. In many individuals, cartilage within the ear may become thickened, irregular and discolored blue, grey or black.
Yes, but with more difficulty. The outer part of your ear, known as the pinna, funnels sound into your ear canal, like a megaphone in reverse. If someone cut it off, everything would sound quieter.
Smelling without a nose… possible, but difficult
Individuals who have undergone a nose-related surgery, or have injured their nose severely, do lose part of their sense of smell. As the nose heals, research shows that the sense of smell returns.
A cauliflower ear certainly hurts at first. It is the result of a blow to the ear hard enough to form a swollen blood clot under the skin. Later, the resulting lumpy mass on the ear may or may not be sore to the touch.
Prompt treatment is the key to preventing cauliflower ear. Having an experienced health care provider drain the hematoma within 48-72 hours is important to prevent fibrous tissue from developing. The hematoma is recognizable because it will be painful, swollen, tense and, at times, red after a match or game.
Signs and symptoms include swelling, redness, and bruising on or around the ear. It was coined the term cauliflower ear, because of the appearance of the ear, as the cartilage tends to fold over on itself creating lumps resembling the head of a cauliflower.
Why do I play with my ears adults?
What It Means: Touching, rubbing, or scratching the ears is a self-soothing gesture that may happen when a person feels nervous or anxious. Some people touch their ears as a subconscious way to “block out” what they hear, just like the “hear no evil” monkey.
Pick a feature or interest he seems to be, or should be, proud of. If you know him well, then compliment a strong, positive personality trait. Say something about how confident, kind, or humorous he is. Compliments are a great way to make someone feel self-conscious and lead to blushing, but in a positive way.
He touches your knee or tucks your hair behind your ear
Because touch is a tool he uses to test your limits, it could mean he's only interested in sex. If he really likes you, though, he might pull back extra-slowly and smile sweetly as he does it, which means he wants to take the time to get closer to you.
A cauliflower-like swelling can appear within minutes or hours after an ear injury. However, the blood clot under the skin takes days to kill the cartilage in the ear. In the meantime, a doctor can treat the ear, save the cartilage, and prevent a permanent cauliflower ear.
Cauliflower ear is a common injury among athletes, but it can happen to anyone who sustains an injury to their ear. Even if your injury seems harmless, it's important to seek treatment within six hours to prevent permanent damage. Additionally, you should never try to drain the fluid from your ear by yourself.
The occurrence of cauliflower ear is highly variable and not every grappler will get it. After ear trauma resulting in a hematoma, scar tissue will start to form after 7 – 10 days. It will keep on hardening for the following 20 days or so, and is completely set after about a month.
This condition is permanent as the cartilage can't be repaired once it dies. The appearance, however, can sometimes be fixed through otoplasty surgery. Otoplasty surgeries are used to correct deformities and defects of the pinna (outer ear).
Cauliflower ear initially appears as redness, swelling and bruising on portions of the outer ear. Although the condition most often occurs after repeated blows to the ear, it can also be the result of wearing a helmet or headgear that fits poorly and rubs against the ears repeatedly.
A cauliflower ear certainly hurts at first. It is the result of a blow to the ear hard enough to form a swollen blood clot under the skin. Later, the resulting lumpy mass on the ear may or may not be sore to the touch.