It is natural to have hair on your ears. However, if you have a lot, you may ask why. Really, it’s not that strange. Almost your entire body is covered in some type of hair. The only parts that do not have it are your palms, lips, and soles of your feet.
Your ears have hair both on the outside and inside them. Even in large quantities, it is usually harmless.
Why do ears have hair?
Before you were born, your entire body was covered with luxurious hair, including your ears. This is known as lanugo. It can take several weeks for it to go gone, especially for premature babies.
Some people, particularly men, develop more hair in and around their ears as they age. Doctors believe it may be due to an increase in testosterone. This hormone causes hair to become coarser and thicker as it grays.
The hair immediately inside your ear, together with earwax, keeps dirt and debris away from your eardrum.
Tiny hairs inside your ear help you hear and stay balanced. They live in fluid-filled canals. When you move, the liquid follows you. This bends the hairs and indicates where your body is in space.
What Causes Excess External Ear Hair?
Doctors aren’t sure why some folks have so much. For long years, researchers believed it was a hereditary feature handed down through men’s Y chromosomes. According to more recent studies, this is incorrect.
It is unusual to have unusually long hair on your outer ear. It is particularly common among men living in India and Sri Lanka. It is uncommon, but babies born to women with diabetes sometimes have hairy ears. According to studies, the better you control your disease while pregnant, the less likely your baby will develop it.
There’s also a condition known as hypertrichosis, where hair grows all over your body. Some cases are genetic, but most aren’t. Other causes include:
- Certain medications
- Disorders of your metabolic or endocrine system
- Poor nutrition
- Abnormal growths in your ovaries or adrenal glands
- Infectious or inflammatory skin conditions
How Do You Get Rid of It?
Hairy ears do not pose any severe health risks, but if you dislike the way they appear or feel, you can have them removed. You have a few choices:
Shave: For the price of a razor and shaving cream, you can get it off. The disadvantages include the possibility of cutting yourself, as well as the short-term effects. Your hair will grow back after 1-3 days. In addition, the razor may hurt your skin or cause the strands to grow back incorrectly. This generates uncomfortable pimples known as ingrown hairs. To trim within your ear, use an electric razor designed for the purpose, not a straight razor.
Pluck: Using tweezers, grasp the base of a strand of hair and draw it out. It may take 1-8 weeks for it to grow back after coming out by the root.
Wax: Use cold or hot wax to remove hair and keep it gone for 2-8 weeks. The wax solidifies after you have spread it on. Use a paper strip to swiftly remove the wax while simultaneously pulling off the hair.
Hair removal cream: Also known as depilatories. Apply them solely to the outside area of your ear. Before you try it, be sure you don’t have any allergies to the ingredients.
