Ear Hair (Hairy Ear)

Ear hair, or hairy ear, happens when hair grows on the part of your ear that you can see and in your ear canal. Your ear canal is the funnel-shaped pathway to your eardrum. Males are more likely to have hairy ears.

Ear hair isn’t a serious medical issue. It doesn’t affect your hearing, and it actually helps to protect your inner ear from debris. But having lots of ear hair may make you feel self-conscious about your appearance.

Fortunately, there are several ways to keep ear hair under control, including home treatments. But you may want to talk to a healthcare provider before tackling hairy ear on your own.

Types of ear hair

Auricular hypertrichosis (pronounced “aw-RIK-yuh-lar” “HY-per-tri-KOH-sis”) may affect your:

• Vellus hair: This very fine and colorless hair lies flat on your body. You may call it peach fuzz. Both males and females have this type.
• Terminal hair: Unlike soft vellus hair, terminal (tragi) hair is stiff and dark. It stands out from your skin and sticks out of your ear canal.

Symptoms of hairy ear

With this condition, you may spot:

• Dark hair sticking out of your ear canal
• Strands of dark hair growing on the parts of your ear that you can see

Some people may have vellus hair on their outer ear. This hair isn’t as noticeable as terminal hair.

Hairy ear causes

Experts aren’t sure why some people develop hairy ears. But changing testosterone levels may play a role. Learning more about your hair might help you understand why testosterone may lead to hairy ears.

Each terminal hair has a shaft and root. The hair shaft is the part you see. The hair root extends down within your skin’s layers. Hair follicles surround the root. The base of the root has round hair bulbs and hair papillae that supply blood to the root.

You’re born with a certain amount and type of hair. For example, fetuses in utero develop lanugo for protection and warmth. Newborn babies have vellus hair that covers their body. Some babies have terminal hair on their head.

As you go through puberty, your body begins to create more androgens, including testosterone. Rising hormone levels lead to terminal hair in places like your face, armpits, chest and belly.

Males have much higher testosterone levels than females. One theory behind hairy ears is that the hair follicles in males’ ears become more sensitive to testosterone and grow more hair. This may be the same reason why some males have hair growing from the inside of their nose.

Complications of ear hair

This condition may increase your risk of swimmer’s ear. Ear hair that traps water in your ear canal may lead to an outer ear infection.

Terminal hair — stiff, dark hair in your ear canal — can:

• Lead to recurrent wax blockages
• Keep your hearing aids from working like they should, especially if you have wax blockages

How doctors diagnose hairy ears

Healthcare providers diagnose this condition by taking a close look at your ear canal, earlobe and the edge of your ear.

How are hairy ears treated?

There are two ways to remove ear hair. You can remove the hair you can see (depilation). Or you can uproot ear hair (epilation) by removing the hair shaft and bulb.

Depilation involves removing hair from the edge of your ear canal and the parts of your ear you can see. This can be DIY, or something you ask your barber or stylist to do. Depilation methods include:

• Depilatory creams: These are creams to remove facial hair.
• Electric trimmers: You use these small trimmers to cut ear hair.
• Scissors: You use small scissors with safety tips to remove ear hair.

Epilation may be a more lasting solution. You may do some treatments at home. But most options involve working with an esthetician or healthcare provider. Treatments include:

• Intense pulsed light (IPL): IPL uses light pulses to remove hair from your outer ear. This is a medical treatment.
• Laser hair removal: Heat from a laser destroys hair follicles so your ear hair doesn’t grow back. Like IPL, this is a medical treatment.
• Plucking: You use tweezers to pull out the hair shaft. You may be able to snag the root. But plucking ear hair can hurt. If you choose to go this route, focus on your outer ears. You could damage your ear canal or even puncture your eardrum if you go deep into your ear.
• Waxing: You spread soft wax on your outer ear, taking care to keep the wax out of your ear canal. The wax snags the hair shaft and root.
• Sugaring: This works like waxing but uses a sugar paste to pull out the hair shaft and root.
• Threading: This treatment is like plucking but uses thread instead of tweezers.

You may need more than one treatment if hair grows back.

There are at-home kits for sugaring and threading, but it’s probably best to have a professional remove your ear hair. You might have terminal hair inside your ear canal that you can’t see. An ENT provider can safely trim the hairs for you.

Keep in mind: Your ear canal is very sensitive. You shouldn’t pluck or use depilatory cream to remove hairs there.

Recovery time

There are different ways to remove ear hair, each with its own recovery time. For example, there’s no recovery time involved if you use scissors or a small shaving device to carefully trim hair on your ear. Recovery from other treatments will vary depending on the process.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

Talk to a healthcare provider if your ear hair makes you feel self-conscious. They’ll recommend treatments that are right for you.

What can I expect if I have hairy ear?

Some treatments may keep ear hair from coming back. Others remove the hair shaft but leave hair roots to sprout anew. You’ll need regular trims or treatments to keep the ear hair from becoming noticeable.