One in 100 people have this tiny hole above their ear. This is why.

It’s likely you’ve come across someone with a tiny hole above one or both of their ears. It usually appears at the point where the ear cartilage connects to the face, and might look like a lump or a dent. About one in 100 people have them.

They’re called preauricular sinuses, and for the most part, they’re entirely normal. Interestingly, according to evolutionary biologist Neil Shubin, the holes could be an evolutionary remnant of fish gills.

Didn’t know this. My son have one of these in his right ear. It’s called Preauricular Sinus and is harmless! pic.twitter.com/ZJrKzTyqpZ

— grudev (@grudev) November 21, 2016

preauricular sinus = free forward helix piercing

A photo posted by Ask When (@askuswhen) on Feb 28, 2016 at 9:27pm PST

Akhirnya saya tahu apa nama lubang sebesar ujung pensil di antara daun telinga dan wajah yang dimiliki suami saya : Fistula Preaurikular Kongenital . Suami saya memiliki lubang itu pada dua telinganya, sedangkan bayi kami hanya memiliki lubang itu pada telinga sebelah kiri. Saya pikir ini mungkin penyakit menurun. . Semoga penyakit ini tidak membawa dampak apa-apa pada bayi kami. Karena suami saya sampai saat ini tidak mengeluh apa-apa karena lubang tersebut. Hanya mengeluh kalau ada sekret/cairan yang bau bila dipencet. . Ada beberapa kasus yang dioperasi. Tapi kalau tidak terjadi apa-apa, tak apalah dibiarkan saja. . Saya menganggap itu suatu ciptaan Alloh SWT yang luar biasa ???? . Sudah bersyukur sekali bayi kami memiliki telinga yang lengkap dan berfungsi normal dan baik ???????? . #preauricularsinus #babycenter #allaboutbaby #FistulaPreaurikularKongenital

A photo posted by m r s . B A N D E L L A (@lelylunalie) on Jul 24, 2015 at 8:56pm PDT

Their frequency actually varies in different parts of the world. In the UK, for example, just under one per cent of people are born with the tiny hole, while in Africa, it’s closer to 10 per cent.

The holes are heriditary and in some cultures have a special meaning, like in Ethiopia, where they’re said to grant wealth.

But sometimes, these sinus cavities can become infected. And, well, lets just say I’ll never get those three hours back. I got into a deep, dark hole of Youtube videos.

I’m just going to share a few images of what happens when it gets infected – then we’ll move on and pretend this never happened.

I'm sorry.

All I'm going to say is that if this made you squirm, don't ever, EVER, google pilonidal cysts.