Bruised/purple ear?

[JessieBird]

Hi everyone - My 17 mo DS has what looks like a nasty bruise on the outer edge of the top of his ear. I don't remember him ever getting hurt there, nor do his daycare providers, though it's certainly possible that he banged it without us realizing at the time. However, it's been the same for at least 5 days and isn't changing at all. It's not huge, probably 1/2 inch around and irregular in shape, but it is quite dark purple. Lighter at the edges but no green the way bruises usually get when they're a few days old. It's not fading.

I wouldn't really think much of it except I remember a post here (or in Life With a Babe) a while back with photos of a baby's ears who were both exactly like this I think. If I recall correctly, mama was sure her baby wasn't injured. I didn't follow the thread so I don't know what the end result was and of course I can't find it now.

Could this be anything other than an ordinary bruise?

[butterfly_mommy]

Hmmm not sure. I would prob go to the dr.s for a look if it was us.

[wondertwins]

A few months ago DD was hopping her Rody pony down the hall, tumbled off and started screaming. If she didn't point out that her ear was injured, I probably would have thought she had banged her head on the wall. Her ear looked red, and tender, she must have hit it on the baseboard, but not bruised. During the next few days a dark purple bruise appeared, similar to what you described, on the outside and inside of her ear. It took at least two weeks for it to totally go away, and it never went through the normal color changes, just slowly faded away.

HTH, DH who by no means has any medical training thought it took so long to fade because it's mostly cartilage so less blood flow.

[GingerLynn]

My son has the same thing did u ever find out what it was from?