A small meatball next to the ear may be caused by sebaceous cysts, enlarged lymph nodes behind the ear, and congenital paronychia. 1. Sebaceous cysts: The common causes of sebaceous cysts are poor skin hygiene, overeating, and frequent late nights. As the oil in the skin cannot be secreted smoothly from the hair follicles, the follicles are easily clogged and sebaceous cysts are formed, resulting in small meatballs next to the ear that are visible to the naked eye. 2. Swollen lymph nodes behind the ear: swollen lymph nodes behind the ear are mostly caused by bacterial infections. Such as hemolytic streptococcus, staphylococcus aureus and so on. During the period of infection, there may also be a hard mass next to the ear, which looks like a small meatball and is usually accompanied by localized pain, pressure pain, fever and other symptoms. 3. Congenital paronychia: If the small meatball next to the ear has been there since birth, it may be congenital paronychia. It is usually associated with infections, medications, and genetic factors. Congenital attachment ear will make the appearance and psychology affected, but will not cause obvious harm to the health of the organism, can be treated by surgical removal. There are many other causes of a small meatball next to the ear, such as pigmented nevi. If it grows further or develops other clinical symptoms, it is recommended to seek medical attention as soon as possible so as not to delay treatment.