The lesion of the ear herein described is reported in view of its similarity to and frequent confusion with chondrodermatitis nodularis chronica helicis, and because it constitutes a unique cutaneous reaction to prolonged pressure.
I have observed such lesions of the ear only in women after the wearing of tight-fitting hats, in telephone operators after the use of ear pieces and in nuns after the wearing of stiffly starched bonnets. The lesions occur singly, involving one or both ears, and are soft, pink papules; the surface is smooth and flat-topped; they are freely movable, not infiltrated and not tender. The lesions are nodular, but in the absence of infiltration they are more properly described as papules. Pain is not a characteristic symptom. They occur on the center, the most prominent part, of the anthelix. Their appearance in women at this location seems to be as typical as is the location