Ears are not supposed to bleed, so any bleeding is excessive.

There can be many causes of bleeding. Bleeding can occur from injuries to the external canal such as a scratch, Q-tip injury or insect bite. Infections can cause bleeding when an infected cyst drains or the ear drum ruptures from a middle ear infection.

An ear that is chronically infected will sometimes develop persistently inflamed tissue (called granulation tissue). This abnormal tissue commonly bleeds.

Children with repeat ear infections often have drainage tubes placed in their ears. An infection around the tube will often cause granulation tissue that bleeds.

Tumors of the ear are uncommon, but can have bleeding.

Bleeding is a warning sign that something is wrong. A trip to the doctor is a good idea to diagnose and treat the problem.