A case of an accessory

The association and proportions between the structures in the face and head is a subject of interest for scientists as well as artists since renaissance. Auricle is one of these structures that have an important place in beauty measures, besides its function in hearing. The external ear begins to develop around the dorsal end of the first branchial cleft during the sixth week of gestation. The auricle results from the fusion of six small buds of first two pharyngeal arches, called hillocks. The auricle is usually complete by the twelfth week. Initially, the auricles form at the base of the neck, but as the mandible develops, the auricles migrate to their normal adult location by gestational week 20 [1]. Accessory auricular anomaly is a cartilaginous skeleton covered with skin like a tragus [2]. It is frequently unilateral, but may be bilateral or multiple [3]. Embryologically, failure of proper fusion of six auricular hillocks during auricle development has been blamed for the development of accessory ears and polyotia [4].