Why Are My Ears Hairy?

It’s normal to have hair on your ears. But if you have a lot, you might wonder why. Really, it isn’t that weird. Almost your entire body is covered in some form of hair. The only parts without it are the palms of your hands, your lips, and the soles of your feet.

Before you were born, your body had soft hair all over, including your ears. This is called lanugo. It can sometimes take a few weeks for it to go away, especially for babies who are born early.

Doctors don’t know exactly why some people have so much. For many years, researchers thought it was a trait men passed down genetically, through their Y chromosome. More recent studies say that isn’t true

It’s rare to have very long hair on your outer ear. It’s most common in men who live in India and Sri Lanka. It’s rare, but babies born to women with diabetes can have hairy ears. Studies show that the better you control your disease while you’re pregnant, the less likely your baby is to have it.