How Cauliflower Ear : Cauliflower

Cauliflower Ear Treatment, Cause, Symptoms, Drainage & Pictures

Treatment of cauliflower ear entails draining blood from the hematoma and treating any infection.Once cartilage death and scarring (fibrosis) occurs, the resulting deformity is generally permanent.An even more rare cause of cauliflower ear is from the inflammation of cartilage in relapsing polychondritis. .

What's Cauliflower Ear? (for Kids)

Without cartilage to keep its firm, rounded shape, the ear shrivels a bit and the cauliflower look begins to appear.Helmets not only can save you from developing cauliflower ear but protect you from serious head injury as well.Always wear a helmet if you are biking, blading, riding your scooter, or playing any sport where helmets or other forms of headgear are recommended or required (like football, baseball, hockey, boxing, or wrestling).A doctor can drain the blood from the ear through a cut and then reconnect skin to the cartilage by applying a tight bandage. .

Cauliflower ear

As a result, the outer ear becomes permanently swollen and deformed, resembling a cauliflower.The structure of the ear is supported by a cartilaginous scaffold consisting of the following distinct components: the helix, antihelix, concha, tragus, and antitragus.Cauliflower ear can also present in the setting of nontraumatic inflammatory injury of auricular connective tissue such as in relapsing polychondritis (RP), a rare rheumatologic disorder in which recurrent episodes of inflammation result in destruction of cartilage of the ears and nose.The hematoma mechanically obstructs blood flow from the perichondrium to the avascular cartilage.[1] If left untreated, disorganized fibrosis and cartilage formation will occur around the aforementioned cartilaginous components.[1] The cartilage then deforms and kinks, resulting in the distinctive appearance somewhat resembling a cauliflower.Auricular hematoma most often occurs in the potential space between the helix and the antihelix (scapha) and extends anteriorly into the fossa triangularis.[1] Less frequently, the hematoma may form in the concha or the area in and around the external auditory meatus.This means that the medical provider will make the diagnosis by using elements of the history of the injury (examples: participation in contact sports, trauma to the ear, previous similar episodes) and combine this with findings on physical exam (examples: tenderness to the area, bruising, deformation of the ear contours) to confirm the diagnosis and decide on the appropriate treatment for the patient.To assist with settling on the best form of treatment for cauliflower ear Yotsuyanagi et al. created a classification system for deciding when surgery is needed and to guide the best approach.scrum cap, a form of headgear used for shock absorption and protection to the head.rugby union player wearing a tiger-print, a form of headgear used for shock absorption and protection to the head.Headgear called a "scrum cap" in rugby, or simply "headgear" or ear guard in wrestling and other martial arts, that protects the ears is worn to help prevent this condition.Because an acute hematoma can lead to cauliflower ear, prompt evacuation of the blood can prevent permanent deformity.In these cases it has been suggested that open surgical treatment is more effective in returning the cosmetic appearance and prevention of recurrence.

Cauliflower Ear: Identification, Treatment, and More

If you’ve ever attended a wrestling match, you may have noticed something different about some of the athletes’ ears.Cauliflower ear occurs when blood pools in your pinna after it’s been hit or struck.Once that happens, new fibrous tissue can form around the area, creating a cauliflower texture on your ear.According to board-certified plastic surgeon Manish H. Shah, MD, FACS, “Risk factors include blunt trauma especially when playing certain sports such as boxing, MMA, water polo, and wrestling, as well as the use of blood thinners.”.Drainage and compression Your doctor may be able to treat the condition by draining the excess blood from your ear.After draining your ear, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics to help prevent infection.Your doctor will also place a compression dressing on your ear to ensure that it heals in the correct shape.If the swelling isn’t treated quickly enough, or if initial treatment is unsuccessful, “the cartilage will then become thickened and scarred and start to look like the cauliflower vegetable, hence the term ‘cauliflower ear,’” says Dr. Nguyen Pham, pediatric otolaryngologist at Children’s Hospital of Orange County.You should be able to resume physical activities within six weeks, though your doctor may recommend waiting longer.Make sure your child and their coach understand the early signs of cauliflower ear and the importance of seeking immediate medical attention.Blood thinners can increase your risk for cauliflower ear, so avoiding the use of them before participating in a contact sport may help prevent this condition. .

UFC fighter Randy Couture is famous for cauliflower ears

HE IS 230 POUNDS of impossible-to-miss muscle, a famous athlete and actor who's used to being gawked at in grocery stores, airports and gas stations.By now, his response in those moments has become reflex: Randy Couture sees strangers approaching, and he smiles and waves back at them.Over time, blood and pus become trapped in the gnarled cartilage of a damaged ear, often causing the lobes to morph into hardened balloons.Like pimples that have crusted into permanent scars, Couture's ears are blue-and-red deformities that hover on the sides of his head -- creviced, bulging and so noticeable that they've helped inspire a movement.Whether they wanted to or not, Couture and other elite fighters have turned cauliflower ear into a coveted badge of honor in wrestling, boxing and MMA."It's ugly and painful, but everybody wants it," says Cael Sanderson, a wrestler who won a 2004 Olympic gold medal and now coaches at Penn State.Couture wore headgear as a high school wrestler to protect his ears but stopped when he began grappling in the Army because his coach didn't allow it.The doctor told him to rest for four weeks and the ear would return to normal; Couture went back to practice the next day.After 10 or 15 of these procedures within a few years, some of the pus and cartilage in his ears began to harden, turning to sediment, until there was nothing left to drain.He heads to the gym with gauze and painkillers because his hardened ears no longer bend on contact and instead tend to tear.In his travels around the world, Couture has watched athletes with disfigured ears get ushered to the front of lines and to the best tables at restaurants.Mike Swick, another UFC fighter, made a video of himself draining his cauliflower ear and posted it on YouTube, where it has been watched more than 350,000 times.So about once a week, Couture leads a fighter into a room with sterile gauze, alcohol, iodine and cleaning solution.He watches the thick blood flow through a needle, then wraps the ear and sends the fighter back to practice.The NCAA and most high school associations mandate that wrestlers wear headgear during competition, and most youth wrestling leagues do the same.But headgear is largely optional in practices and at summer camps, and coaches say few wrestlers wear it when they have a choice.Rugby player Graham Rowntree's bleeding ear was the real loser after his team lost a match.In July, at the prep national championships in Fargo, N.D., dozens of teenage wrestlers waited in line near 10 training tables in the underbelly of a stadium to have their ears drained between matches.At one of those tables, senior All-American Kacee Hutchinson underwent the quick procedure three times during the weeklong tournament before finishing fourth.For a long time, Ryan worked a day job at a bank, standing behind the teller window, cashing customers' checks. .

Cauliflower ear: Causes, symptoms, and treatments

This blood clot causes tissue damage that leads to a lumpy appearance that is said to resemble a cauliflower.Typically, those at risk can prevent the sorts of injuries that lead to this condition by wearing protective headgear.The blood supply to the cartilage that supports the ear and keeps its shape is provided by the overlying skin.When this supply is interrupted, by either multiple clots or pressure caused by swelling, this cartilage may die off.In addition, fights can also result in similar injuries, as can accidents where the side of the head is injured.Because these piercings penetrate the ear and can be hard to keep clean, the risk of infection increases.Of particular concern is the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, according to a study published in the Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology.Left untreated, the ear remains lumpy and the swelling gradually hardens over the course of 7 to 10 days.Ice packs to the ear for approximately 15-minute stretches several times per day may help to reduce swelling.Rapid removal of fluid by a medical professional reduces the likelihood of clots forming.Those participating in sports can wear these molds under their headgear in order to reduce the risk of further injury.A case study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine described this treatment as being successful after a player with a newly developed cauliflower ear wore these molds for 10 days.If it is completed within 30 days of the initial clot and formation, it involves cutting out the newly formed scar tissue and stitching the wound up.This typically takes place under local anesthetic and requires the patient to wear a headband for a few days following the surgery. .