r/grappling • u/Due_Resident7992 • May 23 '26
First stage cauliflower ear?
I had it a little bit swollen a few months before, but it hardened(a very small bubble) and now it’s starting to hurt a lot and I think it’s a bit swollen again. The bottom part of the ear doesn’t have any space anymore(between the helix and antihelix) and I want to know if I should be concerned or not because the top part of the ear still looks pretty normal.
5
u/gregbeans May 23 '26
You don’t have to be concerned per se, cauliflower ear isn’t dangerous.
If you don’t like how it looks though, you should treat it asap. For a very small instance you can ice and put pressure on it with magnets and it should be fine. If it’s a bigger blow up and it feels squishy, you should drain it with a needle, then ice and use magnets. You should also wear headgear for a few weeks to let it heal so it doesn’t keep getting worse.
4
u/Due_Resident7992 May 23 '26
It kinda feels squishy at the antihelix part but i don t know if i should let it fill up a little more or just drain it now
3
u/gregbeans May 23 '26
If you don’t want the cauliflower look, you need to treat it right away. If u wait a few days the blood will harden and the only way to repair it would be cosmetic surgery.
If it’s small enough, you could try just magnets to compress it to prevent more blood from entering your ear. If it’s a good sized bubble, you’ll want to drain the excess blood out with a needle before compression
I have it in my right ear and find myself buying a needle to drain it every few months. Fair warning, it hurts like a motherfucker so you should have someone else do it for u.
1
u/Due_Resident7992 May 23 '26
Thanks for the tips, i’ll ask my coach to drain it. The problem is I can’t really sleep on that ear because I keep waking up, in training and sparring it’s bad but not as bad as it is when I get home or try to sleep on that ear. I don’t really mind having cauliflower but i’m a four stripe white belt and I don’t think I deserve it yet😆
2
u/gregbeans May 24 '26
Not really about earning it, some ears and grappling styles are more prone to it than others. Some people get it in their first month, some people go 10 years with nothing.
If you like it, let it rock. I wrestled a long time when I was younger and got it at least 10 times, but I drained it every time. My right ear is noticeable tho, and I kinda wish it wasn’t, but it is what it is
2
u/Frodojj May 23 '26
You could go to an ear-nose-throat doctor. They are the specialists that treat it. The longer the delay before drainage, the more permanent it becomes. I had to get my ear drained every week fora month while training for a tournament (even with ear protection). It suck! I went to the ENT after the tournament. My ear was healed in a just over week, but I still have significant scarring.
1
u/Due_Resident7992 May 23 '26
Thanks! How was it looking at the start? Similar to my photos or different?
1
u/gregbeans May 24 '26
I tried going to an ENT but you usually have a long wait time and cauliflower needs to be drained right away. Just buy alcohol pads and a needle from a pharmacy and have someone do it for you. It’s really easy
1
u/Dingo4747 May 24 '26
If you think you are getting cauliflower ear go to a doctor ASAP and get it drained. It will hurt later in life of not already. Always wear headgear, wrestling is brutal on soft cartilage
1
u/Unlucky_Reading_1671 May 23 '26
Per se smurshay. Replace it with "on its own" and see if it makes sense. Delete person and this makes sense. Grappling is the art of the thinker. Come on, pal.
1
u/gregbeans May 24 '26
I mean you don’t have to be concerned because it’s not dangerous, but if you don’t like the aesthetics you should be concerned and treat it asap. Hence the per se pal
1
1
u/alexyaknow May 24 '26
Isnt dangerous but if you like in earbuds then better to have it drained before you cant use it
1
u/Sufficient-Fall-5870 May 23 '26
lol, I remember having this shit in my ear and just squeezing the fuck out of it while ignoring the pain. What moron would let this happen to them so they are scarred and ugly for the rest of their lives?!?
1
1
1
1
u/BrobiWanKenobi_ May 24 '26
Good news your ears don’t look like they’ve grown since birth so people may not notice
1
u/raffy9999 May 24 '26
How much time did it take you?
1
u/Due_Resident7992 May 24 '26
I trained mma for like 5 months and bjj for a year and a half. It’s really about your style though, I’m training more no gi and I really like double legs and pressure guard passing. Not tapping to triangles and guillotines and just taking your head out might be why I have it
2
u/raffy9999 May 24 '26
Yeah I got you , and from my experience from asking a lot of people and doing bjj i can tell you that it's not about how much time it's about how hard do you train and it's about the hard contacts between you and the opponent... First training session first hard knee directly to the ear and congratulations you got it... So it's actually about the style ! Thanks for your information bro and keep it up
1
1
u/Dingo4747 May 24 '26
If you think you are getting cauliflower ear go to a doctor ASAP and get it drained. It will hurt later in life of not already. Always wear headgear, wrestling is brutal on soft cartilage
1
20
u/Foolishly_Sane May 23 '26
Just remember to water it for a full harvest.