Spots On and Behind the Ears: Causes and Safe Removal

Skin tags, seborrheic keratoses, and small cysts all appear on and behind the ears. The ear area is a surprisingly active spot for benign growths: the skin behind the ear folds, traps moisture, and rubs against collars, glasses, and hair; the outer ear gets decades of direct sun. Most of what you find here is harmless. Some of it is treatable at home with a plasma pen. Some of it needs a dermatologist. This guide tells you which is which.

For the broader picture on scalp and head-area spots, see our spots and bumps on the scalp guide.

What kinds of spots appear on and behind the ears

The skin around the ear has its own texture and friction points that make certain growth types common here. Three are worth knowing by name.

Skin tags (acrochordons)

Soft, flesh-colored flaps that hang from a thin stalk. They form anywhere skin folds or rubs against itself, which makes the crease behind the ear, the earlobe, and the upper ear cartilage fold common locations. Earrings, hearing aids, and glasses frames all create the repetitive contact that can trigger new skin tags over time. Per the American Academy of Dermatology, skin tags are entirely benign and cause no medical concern, though they can become irritated from friction.

Seborrheic keratoses

Waxy, raised patches that range from light tan to dark brown. They appear as though they have been stuck onto the surface of the skin. Behind the ear and on the scalp hairline are very common locations as people reach their 40s and beyond. They are entirely benign, though they can look alarming and are occasionally mistaken for warts or pigmented lesions. The Mayo Clinic notes that seborrheic keratoses are one of the most common noncancerous skin growths and pose no health risk.

Epidermoid cysts and what sets them apart

Epidermoid cysts appear frequently behind the ear and on the earlobe. They feel like a firm, round, movable bump under the skin, often with a small central opening called a punctum. Unlike skin tags, they are not attached to the surface by a stalk. They are benign, but they are not candidates for at-home plasma pen treatment. A plasma pen addresses the surface growth, not the sac underneath. Incomplete treatment of a cyst causes it to return, and an infected cyst in this area is more complicated to manage than elsewhere. A dermatologist can drain or excise a cyst cleanly.

Why this location gets spots more often than you might expect

The ear area combines two very different micro-environments that each favor specific growth types.

Behind the ear: friction, moisture, and skin tags

The post-auricular sulcus (the groove behind the earlobe) is a warm, humid fold that rubs against collars, earbuds, glasses frames, and hair. Friction in a folded, moist environment is the primary driver of skin tag formation. It is the same reason skin tags concentrate in the neck, armpits, and groin. Anyone who wears glasses regularly often finds skin tags forming exactly where the temple rests behind the ear. Hearing aid users notice the same pattern over years of wear.

On the outer ear: sun exposure and keratoses

The outer ear gets direct sun exposure, often unprotected, for decades. That cumulative UV load explains why seborrheic keratoses and, less often, actinic keratoses concentrate on the outer ear and earlobe. The NIH MedlinePlus skin conditions reference notes that benign skin growths increase in frequency with age, particularly in sun-exposed areas. The ear is easy to overlook in daily sunscreen application, which compounds that exposure over time.

The crease behind the ear is one of the highest-friction zones on the face and neck. Skin tags are the predictable result.

Which ear spots are safe to treat at home

The distinction matters before you touch anything near the ear.

Good candidates for at-home plasma pen treatment

• Skin tags anywhere in the crease behind the ear or on the earlobe, when you can confirm the growth is soft, stalk-attached, and movable.
• Seborrheic keratoses on accessible flat skin around the ear, when the surface has the typical waxy, rough, stuck-on appearance and clear borders.

See a dermatologist first for these

• Any cyst, regardless of size. Cysts have a sac wall that a plasma pen does not address, and incomplete treatment causes recurrence.
• Any growth that is changing in size, color, or texture, or that has developed over weeks rather than years.
• Any growth that bleeds without being touched or is tender.
• Anything sitting on the ear cartilage itself where the skin is thin and close to an avascular structure.
• Any keratosis with irregular pigment or an uneven border, which may be an actinic keratosis (a precancerous lesion) rather than a benign seborrheic keratosis.

How to use the plasma pen on ear-area skin tags and keratoses

The plasma pen works here the same way it works on skin tags and keratoses elsewhere. A few adjustments matter for the ear area specifically.

Prep and numbing

Clean behind the ear and the earlobe and let the skin dry fully. Apply numbing cream and wait the full time the cream specifies. The skin in the crease behind the ear is thinner than on the forearm, so the numbing step reduces discomfort more noticeably here. Apply the cream evenly across the crease and wipe any excess from the fold before treating.

Settings: start one step conservative

Use the OcuraLife Plasma Pen at a conservative power setting, one step lower than you would use on a skin tag on the neck or body. With 9 power settings available, starting light and adjusting on a second session is always possible. For a skin tag, position the tip on the stalk only, not on the surrounding skin. Brief contact is all that is needed. For a seborrheic keratosis, work across the surface carefully.

The full treatment per spot takes about 5 minutes. A scab forms the same day, lifts on its own between Day 3 and Day 7, and new skin is visible by Week 2 to 3. For a complete breakdown of safety and what to expect, see is the plasma pen safe and our roundup of the best at-home plasma pen options in 2026.

Aftercare in a fold

The behind-the-ear crease sees daily friction from glasses, earbuds, and collars during the healing window. A small hydrocolloid healing patch over the treated spot protects it from frame contact. Keep the crease dry in the shower for the first few days. Hold off on earrings through the earlobe if you treated that area, until the scab has lifted naturally.

When to see a dermatologist about an ear spot

One growth worth knowing by name: keratoacanthoma. It is a fast-growing, crateriform lesion that can appear on sun-exposed skin including the outer ear. It looks like a seborrheic keratosis in early stages, but it develops over weeks rather than years. Any fast-growing ear-area bump is a dermatologist case before any at-home treatment is considered.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about spots on and behind the ears.

What you need to know before treating an ear-area spot at home

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The bottom line

Skin tags, seborrheic keratoses, and small cysts are the most common spots near the ear. All are benign. Skin tags in the post-auricular crease and seborrheic keratoses on the outer ear and earlobe are good candidates for at-home plasma pen treatment when you can confirm what you have. Cysts belong with a dermatologist. Any spot that is changing, growing, or uncertain belongs with a dermatologist too, regardless of where it sits.

The OcuraLife Plasma Pen is built for exactly this kind of careful, location-specific at-home work on benign growths. Nine power settings let you start conservative for thinner skin. A scab forms the same day, lifts naturally by Day 3 to 7, and the skin is renewed by Week 2 to 3. Backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee.