Where Do These Holes Above the Ears Come From?

We don’t teach you anything by telling you that the body is a temple that contains many secrets. Little secrets that, sometimes, some people share without even knowing it.

Some of us are born with a tiny hole near one or both ears! You may be one of them, you may have already met one and, if you haven’t dared to ask, here’s what we know. It is simply the preauricular sinus, an extremely rare phenomenon which is caused by a benign genetic malformation.

More details on the small hole at the ears
This small hole above the ear is called a preauricular sinus. It is a hereditary birth defect, meaning it can be passed from parents to their children. The phenomenon was first documented by a scientist named Van Heusinger in 1864.

These holes, although tiny, affect a very small percentage of the world’s population.

In the UK, less than one percent of people have them, but the number is even lower in the US. In Asia and parts of Africa, four to ten percent of people have this particular hereditary defect. Although there is nothing wrong with having them, these holes sometimes have a nasty habit of becoming infected, but this can be cured with simple antibiotics.

Benign genetic malformation
It is in fact a completely benign genetic malformation. Most often, it comes from a gene linked to heredity. These orifices are generally located at the front of our ears and are remnants of the gills of our finned ancestors. This theory has not yet been scientifically tested but it is a very common popular belief. According to the theory of the scientist Schubin, the presence of this orifice near the ears is due to the first and second pharyngeal arches. It is a structure present in all vertebrates which is built during embryonic development. A rare phenomenon and one which could not create undue complexes. This shows that we are all unique with sometimes singular characteristics. This benign ear “malformation” only concerns 1% of Western civilization.