I have a hard, grayish bump under the skin of the hard cartilage of my ear. It is about the size of a pea or a bit bigger. I have had it for about a year because the dermatologist had said that it wasn t something I should worry about but that I should go to a plastic surgeon to get it removed. I already made an appointment for surgery March 1 of this year. However, I am worried about the cause of this bump. I was thinking about going to my generalist so I could get some blood work. What do you think? What questions should I ask and tests should I request?