Can a weakened eardrum become structurally stiffer?
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The eardrum is made of three thin layers. The middle layer of the three is made of a fibrous tissue which gives the eardrum rigidity.
In people who have had bad perforations or long standing retraction issues, this middle layer fails, leading to an eardrum which has poor stiffness. Effectively the eardrum behaves like a plastic bag taped over a broken window in the wind, flapping about.
My question is this. If normal middle ear pressure is restored, can an eardrum that has been weakened regain its rigidity?
I have been searching google on this question for some time and I have not been able to find much information at all. Some information suggests that the ear drum is continually growing out from the centre, but none of the information talks about whether the central stiffening layer can reform.
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