QUESTION: They make us wear ear guards on the wrestling team to protect against cauliflower ears, but I was never quite sure how the condition developed.
Would you please explain?
ANSWER: Keep those protectors on, a cauliflower ear is not the most attractive sight in the world.
The structure of the ear is formed by cartilage, which gives it flexibility and shape.
Covering this is a tissue which carries blood to the cartilage called the perichondrium.
When a forceful blow strikes the ear, the blood vessels can rupture, bleed, and form a clot, which can turn the ear into a swollen, shapeless reddish purple mass. If allowed to remain untreated, the clot becomes a thick scar and may eventually become hard as it is slowly transformed into bone-like material by deposits of calcium.
A few such masses, and you have a cauliflower ear. Proper treatment requires removal of the blood clot using suction drainage through a cut in the skin.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
