There is a small hole at the root of the auricle on the human ear. What's the role?

After some babies are born, their parents will find a small eye next to his or her ear, which is called "Cang Yan" in folk customs, and some old people even call it "Qian Cang Liang", which indicates future wealth. Of course, this is pure ignorance and superstition. In fact, this is a congenital malformation, called "preauricular fistula", which is formed by the remaining obstacles in the process of embryonic development.

Preauricular fistula is a concave layer of skin, which has all the characteristics of skin in other parts of human body, including epithelium, hair follicle, sweat gland and sebaceous gland. Secretions of epithelial and sebaceous glands shed from fistula usually gather in the tube and cannot be discharged. Once attacked by bacteria, it will become infected and inflamed.

Babies with preauricular fistula generally have no other symptoms except local itching, and sometimes a little white secretion can often flow around small eyes with a slight odor. Once secondary infection occurs, local swelling, heat pain and suppuration occur, and the abscess is difficult to heal after rupture, or sometimes it breaks repeatedly to form granulation. Even if a scar is formed, the baby will be infected and inflamed again, which will make the baby suffer greatly. Parents can conduct self-examination according to the above characteristics.

The most basic treatment of preauricular fistula is surgical resection of fistula and its associated capsule. If there is secondary infection, the operation should be controlled immediately after infection. Be careful not to squeeze uninfected fistula by hand, and wipe the fistula with 70% alcohol to protect local cleanliness and prevent infection.