Ear skin tags (accessory auricles) in children

What are ear skin tags in children? 

Ear skin tags are a type of ear deformity that occur in around 5-10 of every 1,000 births. They are benign growths that develop near the front of your child’s ear while in the womb.

Skin tags on ears can appear as lumps of skin, fat or cartilage before the ear opening that vary in size and shape. They are usually painless and do not cause physical problems. However, in some children with an ear tag or other ear deformity they may also have hearing issues in the affected ear with the tag. 

Our specialist children’s plastic surgeons at Evelina London Children’s Hospital specialise in individually tailored surgery options to improve the appearance of ear skin tags in young patients.  

Symptoms of ear skin tags in children 

The main symptom of a skin tag is a bump or lump near the front of your child’s ear. They can be associated with pits or sinuses that can get infected. Ear skin tags are typically one sided, isolated and harmless, and do not cause significant symptoms. 

While special tests aren’t necessary for most children with ear tags, there are some situations where our doctors may recommend a kidney scan (called a renal ultrasound) – these include:

• if a child has ear tags on both sides
• other unusual facial features
• hearing problems
• a family history of kidney issues

Due to a link between ear tags and kidney abnormalities, our specialists will recommend this type of scan to rule out any potential risks. If the ear tag is the only finding and it’s just on one side, extra tests are usually not needed. 

What causes ear skin tags in children? 

Ear skin tags develop in early pregnancy when your child starts to form in the womb. A skin tag forms when the soft tissues that form their ears don’t fuse. It’s unclear why this happens, but experts believe it may run in families. 

Sometimes, ear skin tags signify a rare genetic condition called Goldenhar syndrome that causes incomplete development of the facial bones, nerve and other tissues.   

Complications of ear skin tags in children 

Ear skin tags do not often have complications and cause no physical symptoms. 

Instead, complications with ear skin tags are more likely to relate to your child’s emotional wellbeing. Some older children may feel unhappy with their appearance, which can affect their confidence. However, treatments are available, including some that surgeons can perform under local anaesthetic while your child is still a baby – and therefore won’t remember the surgery – and won’t need a general anaesthetic when they are older.  

Diagnosing ear skin tags in children 

Our paediatric specialists will most often diagnose ear skin tags because they’ll easily spot them when they check your child at birth. As routine in the UK, your baby will have a newborn hearing screening test to check for possible hearing loss. 

Treating ear skin tags in children 

Our plastic surgeons are experts in the removal of all skin tags. Our ear tag removal treatments offer your child permanent, effective results.  

We can perform a minor surgical procedure to remove the ear skin tag under local anaesthetic in the early baby phase or when your child is old enough to sit still for the numbing injection.  

During ear skin tag removal surgery, we’ll inject a local anaesthetic into the area, completely numbing it so your child won’t feel any pain. Then, the surgeon will remove the skin tag and seal the wound with stitches, minimising bleeding and leaving minimal scarring. We’ll apply a dressing to keep the wound clean. 

Alternatively, depending on the tag, we can perform a CO2 (carbon dioxide) laser procedure. The procedure involves numbing the area with a local anaesthetic and using a precise laser to burn away the ear skin tag. CO2 lasers can cause minimal scarring, and the procedure is quick to ensure optimal comfort for your child. 

If your child is over 6 months, they may struggle to sit still long enough for minor surgery with local anaesthetic. If this happens, we can perform a surgical removal under general anaesthetic at our Children’s Day Surgery Unit. A general anaesthetic means your child will be asleep throughout the surgery and must remain in the hospital for a few hours longer once it’s complete, allowing us to monitor their initial recovery. In nearly all cases, children can go home on the same day.  

Helping your child recover at home 

Before you and your child go home after their ear skin tag removal, we’ll give you all the information you need to support their recovery. Your child may be restless or upset after their ear skin tag removal. Some children also feel tender or sore in the area.  

Your child’s specialist will give them some pain relief and anti-sickness medicine to help them feel comfortable and get well as soon as possible.   

We will also provide specific aftercare instructions about their wound and dressings so you can support healing and minimise infection, the risks of which are extremely small.  

Signs of possible infection to watch for include:  

• a high temperature 
• bleeding of the wound 
• leaking pus from the wound 
• severe swelling 
• your child feeling generally unwell 

If you’re concerned that your child has a possible infection, seek medical advice as soon as possible.  

It can take around 2 weeks for their wound to heal completely and for the stitches to dissolve, but your child should feel back to normal again within 1-2 days of their procedure.