Swimmer’s ear – Symptoms & causes

Overview

Swimmer’s ear is an infection in the outer ear canal, which runs from your eardrum to the outside of your head. It’s often brought on by water that remains in your ear, creating a moist environment that aids the growth of bacteria.

Putting fingers, cotton swabs or other objects in your ears also can lead to swimmer’s ear by damaging the thin layer of skin lining your ear canal.

Swimmer’s ear is also known as otitis externa. Usually you can treat swimmer’s ear with eardrops. Prompt treatment can help prevent complications and more-serious infections.

Outer ear infection

Redness of the ear canal, ear pain, draining fluids and discharge of pus are signs of swimmer’s ear (otitis externa). Untreated, the infection can spread to nearby tissue and bone.

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Symptoms

Swimmer’s ear symptoms are usually mild at first, but they can worsen if your infection isn’t treated or spreads. Doctors often classify swimmer’s ear according to mild, moderate and advanced stages of progression.

Mild signs and symptoms

• Itching in your ear canal
• Slight redness inside your ear
• Mild discomfort that’s made worse by pulling on your outer ear (pinna or auricle) or pushing on the little “bump” in front of your ear (tragus)
• Some drainage of clear, odorless fluid

Moderate progression

• More-intense itching
• Increasing pain
• More-extensive redness in your ear
• Excessive fluid drainage
• Feeling of fullness inside your ear and partial blockage of your ear canal by swelling, fluid and debris
• Decreased or muffled hearing

Advanced progression

• Severe pain that might radiate to your face, neck or side of your head
• Complete blockage of your ear canal
• Redness or swelling of your outer ear
• Swelling in the lymph nodes in your neck
• Fever

When to see a doctor

Contact your doctor if you have even mild signs or symptoms of swimmer’s ear.

Call your doctor immediately or visit the emergency room if you have:

• Severe pain
• Fever

Causes

Swimmer’s ear is an infection that’s usually caused by bacteria. It’s less common for a fungus or virus to cause swimmer’s ear.

Your ear’s natural defenses

Your outer ear canals have natural defenses that help keep them clean and prevent infection. Protective features include:

• A thin, water-repellent, slightly acidic film lines the ear canal and discourages bacterial growth. Earwax (cerumen) is an accumulation of this waxy film, dead skin cells and other debris that travels to the opening of the ear canal to keep it clean.
• The outer ear, particularly around the opening of the ear canal, helps prevent foreign bodies from entering.

How the infection occurs

If you have swimmer’s ear, your natural defenses have been overwhelmed. The conditions that often play a role in infection include:

• Moisture in the ear canal that creates an ideal environment for bacterial growth
• Exposure to contaminated water
• Damage to the sensitive skin of the ear canal that creates an opening for infection

Risk factors

Factors that can increase the risk of swimmer’s ear include:

• Excess moisture in your ear canal from heavy perspiration, prolonged humid weather or water remaining in the ear after swimming
• Exposure to high bacteria levels in contaminated water
• Cleaning the ear canal with cotton swabs, hairpins or fingernails, which can cause scratches or abrasions
• Ear devices, such as earbuds or hearing aids, which can cause tiny breaks in the skin

Complications

Swimmer’s ear usually isn’t serious if treated promptly, but complications can occur.

• Temporary hearing loss. You might have muffled hearing that usually gets better after the infection clears.
• Long-term infection (chronic otitis externa). An outer ear infection is usually considered chronic if signs and symptoms persist for more than three months. Chronic infections are more common if there are conditions that make treatment difficult, such as a rare strain of bacteria, an allergic skin reaction, an allergic reaction to antibiotic eardrops, a skin condition such as dermatitis or psoriasis, or a combination of a bacterial and a fungal infection.
• Deep tissue infection (cellulitis). Rarely, swimmer’s ear can spread into deep layers and connective tissues of the skin.
• Bone and cartilage damage (early skull base osteomyelitis). This is a rare complication of swimmer’s ear that occurs as the infection spreads to the cartilage of the outer ear and bones of the lower part of the skull, causing increasingly severe pain. Older adults, people with diabetes or people with weakened immune systems are at increased risk of this complication.
• More-widespread infection. If swimmer’s ear develops into advanced skull base osteomyelitis, the infection can spread and affect other parts of your body, such as the brain or nearby nerves. This rare complication can be life-threatening.

Prevention

Follow these tips to avoid swimmer’s ear:

• Keep your ears dry. After swimming or bathing, tip your head to the side to help water drain from your ear canal. Dry only your outer ear, wiping it gently with a soft towel. You can safely dry your outer ear canal with a blow-dryer if you put it on the lowest setting and hold it at least a foot (about 0.3 meters) away from the ear.
• At-home preventive treatment. If you know you don’t have a punctured eardrum, you can use homemade preventive eardrops of 1 part white vinegar to 1 part rubbing alcohol. This solution promotes drying and helps prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. Before and after swimming, pour 1 teaspoon (about 5 milliliters) of the solution into each ear and let it drain back out. Similar over-the-counter solutions might be available at your drugstore.
• Swim wisely. Don’t swim in lakes or rivers on days when warnings of high bacteria counts are posted.
• Protect your ears while swimming. Wear earplugs or a swimming cap while swimming to keep your ears dry.
• Protect your ears from irritants. Put cotton balls in your ears while applying products such as hair sprays and hair dyes.
• Use caution after an ear infection or surgery. If you’ve recently had an ear infection or ear surgery, talk to your doctor before swimming.
• Avoid putting foreign objects in your ear. Never attempt to scratch an itch or dig out earwax with items such as a cotton swab, paper clip or hairpin. Using these items can pack material deeper into your ear canal, irritate the thin skin inside your ear or break the skin.

What to do about earwax

Earwax usually moves to the opening of the ear canal, where you can gently wash it away with a damp cloth. It’s best to leave it alone and let earwax do its job.

If you have an excess of earwax or it’s blocking your ear canal, you can do two things rather than digging it out. See your doctor or use an at-home cleaning method. Follow these steps for safe at-home cleaning:

• Soften the wax. Use an eyedropper to apply a few drops of baby oil, mineral oil, glycerin or diluted hydrogen peroxide in your ear canal.
• Use warm water. After a day or two, when the wax is softened, use a rubber-bulb syringe to gently squirt warm water into your ear canal. Tilt your head and pull your outer ear up and back to straighten your ear canal. When finished irrigating, tip your head to the side to let the water drain out.
• Dry your ear canal. When finished, gently dry your outer ear with a towel or blow-dryer.

Swimmer’s ear – Symptoms & causes

Overview

Swimmer’s ear is an infection in the outer ear canal, which runs from your eardrum to the outside of your head. It’s often brought on by water that remains in your ear, creating a moist environment that aids the growth of bacteria.

Putting fingers, cotton swabs or other objects in your ears also can lead to swimmer’s ear by damaging the thin layer of skin lining your ear canal.

Swimmer’s ear is also known as otitis externa. Usually you can treat swimmer’s ear with eardrops. Prompt treatment can help prevent complications and more-serious infections.

Outer ear infection

Redness of the ear canal, ear pain, draining fluids and discharge of pus are signs of swimmer’s ear (otitis externa). Untreated, the infection can spread to nearby tissue and bone.

Products & Services

Symptoms

Swimmer’s ear symptoms are usually mild at first, but they can worsen if your infection isn’t treated or spreads. Doctors often classify swimmer’s ear according to mild, moderate and advanced stages of progression.

Mild signs and symptoms

• Itching in your ear canal
• Slight redness inside your ear
• Mild discomfort that’s made worse by pulling on your outer ear (pinna or auricle) or pushing on the little “bump” in front of your ear (tragus)
• Some drainage of clear, odorless fluid

Moderate progression

• More-intense itching
• Increasing pain
• More-extensive redness in your ear
• Excessive fluid drainage
• Feeling of fullness inside your ear and partial blockage of your ear canal by swelling, fluid and debris
• Decreased or muffled hearing

Advanced progression

• Severe pain that might radiate to your face, neck or side of your head
• Complete blockage of your ear canal
• Redness or swelling of your outer ear
• Swelling in the lymph nodes in your neck
• Fever

When to see a doctor

Contact your doctor if you have even mild signs or symptoms of swimmer’s ear.

Call your doctor immediately or visit the emergency room if you have:

• Severe pain
• Fever

Causes

Swimmer’s ear is an infection that’s usually caused by bacteria. It’s less common for a fungus or virus to cause swimmer’s ear.

Your ear’s natural defenses

Your outer ear canals have natural defenses that help keep them clean and prevent infection. Protective features include:

• A thin, water-repellent, slightly acidic film lines the ear canal and discourages bacterial growth. Earwax (cerumen) is an accumulation of this waxy film, dead skin cells and other debris that travels to the opening of the ear canal to keep it clean.
• The outer ear, particularly around the opening of the ear canal, helps prevent foreign bodies from entering.

How the infection occurs

If you have swimmer’s ear, your natural defenses have been overwhelmed. The conditions that often play a role in infection include:

• Moisture in the ear canal that creates an ideal environment for bacterial growth
• Exposure to contaminated water
• Damage to the sensitive skin of the ear canal that creates an opening for infection

Risk factors

Factors that can increase the risk of swimmer’s ear include:

• Excess moisture in your ear canal from heavy perspiration, prolonged humid weather or water remaining in the ear after swimming
• Exposure to high bacteria levels in contaminated water
• Cleaning the ear canal with cotton swabs, hairpins or fingernails, which can cause scratches or abrasions
• Ear devices, such as earbuds or hearing aids, which can cause tiny breaks in the skin

Complications

Swimmer’s ear usually isn’t serious if treated promptly, but complications can occur.

• Temporary hearing loss. You might have muffled hearing that usually gets better after the infection clears.
• Long-term infection (chronic otitis externa). An outer ear infection is usually considered chronic if signs and symptoms persist for more than three months. Chronic infections are more common if there are conditions that make treatment difficult, such as a rare strain of bacteria, an allergic skin reaction, an allergic reaction to antibiotic eardrops, a skin condition such as dermatitis or psoriasis, or a combination of a bacterial and a fungal infection.
• Deep tissue infection (cellulitis). Rarely, swimmer’s ear can spread into deep layers and connective tissues of the skin.
• Bone and cartilage damage (early skull base osteomyelitis). This is a rare complication of swimmer’s ear that occurs as the infection spreads to the cartilage of the outer ear and bones of the lower part of the skull, causing increasingly severe pain. Older adults, people with diabetes or people with weakened immune systems are at increased risk of this complication.
• More-widespread infection. If swimmer’s ear develops into advanced skull base osteomyelitis, the infection can spread and affect other parts of your body, such as the brain or nearby nerves. This rare complication can be life-threatening.

Prevention

Follow these tips to avoid swimmer’s ear:

• Keep your ears dry. After swimming or bathing, tip your head to the side to help water drain from your ear canal. Dry only your outer ear, wiping it gently with a soft towel. You can safely dry your outer ear canal with a blow-dryer if you put it on the lowest setting and hold it at least a foot (about 0.3 meters) away from the ear.
• At-home preventive treatment. If you know you don’t have a punctured eardrum, you can use homemade preventive eardrops of 1 part white vinegar to 1 part rubbing alcohol. This solution promotes drying and helps prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. Before and after swimming, pour 1 teaspoon (about 5 milliliters) of the solution into each ear and let it drain back out. Similar over-the-counter solutions might be available at your drugstore.
• Swim wisely. Don’t swim in lakes or rivers on days when warnings of high bacteria counts are posted.
• Protect your ears while swimming. Wear earplugs or a swimming cap while swimming to keep your ears dry.
• Protect your ears from irritants. Put cotton balls in your ears while applying products such as hair sprays and hair dyes.
• Use caution after an ear infection or surgery. If you’ve recently had an ear infection or ear surgery, talk to your doctor before swimming.
• Avoid putting foreign objects in your ear. Never attempt to scratch an itch or dig out earwax with items such as a cotton swab, paper clip or hairpin. Using these items can pack material deeper into your ear canal, irritate the thin skin inside your ear or break the skin.

What to do about earwax

Earwax usually moves to the opening of the ear canal, where you can gently wash it away with a damp cloth. It’s best to leave it alone and let earwax do its job.

If you have an excess of earwax or it’s blocking your ear canal, you can do two things rather than digging it out. See your doctor or use an at-home cleaning method. Follow these steps for safe at-home cleaning:

• Soften the wax. Use an eyedropper to apply a few drops of baby oil, mineral oil, glycerin or diluted hydrogen peroxide in your ear canal.
• Use warm water. After a day or two, when the wax is softened, use a rubber-bulb syringe to gently squirt warm water into your ear canal. Tilt your head and pull your outer ear up and back to straighten your ear canal. When finished irrigating, tip your head to the side to let the water drain out.
• Dry your ear canal. When finished, gently dry your outer ear with a towel or blow-dryer.

Swimming and not earning a “swimmer’s ear”: why do you need to take earplugs to the pool | Child health | Health

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Protection from nature

There is such a thing as “swimmer’s ear”. This is the name of the ear, whose normal state is disturbed by constant exposure to a humid environment. By nature, a healthy ear is well protected from water: the structure of the auricle does not allow water to pour into the ear canal in large quantities and stagnate there. And earwax has an acidic pH and kills most bacteria and fungi that get into it with water.

But proper swimming requires exhaling into the water, so swimmers (as well as divers) often get water in their ears. Gradually, earwax erodes and loses its protective properties, and the inner shell of the ear canal loosens and becomes vulnerable to infections.

Sushi ears!

Why do some children go to the pool all their lives, while others get “swimmer’s ear” from one bath? It depends on many factors: the composition of the water (how much chlorine is in it, infections …), the individual characteristics of the structure of the ear, the general state of immunity.

There are several ways to prevent this unpleasant condition:

• After swimming, you should wipe your ears inside or even dry them with a hair dryer. It is better to use not cotton buds, but a thin cloth napkin, sticking its soft corner deep into it. If you use a hair dryer, lower the temperature to a comfortable level, hot air also destroys natural protection.
• Put prophylactic ear drops in your ears after swimming. As a rule, they are made on the basis of medical alcohol, which mixes with the water left in the ear and quickly evaporates it.
• Use earplugs for swimming.

Wide choice

Well-known companies in the swimming industry produce not only swimwear and caps, but also various accessories for swimmers. Including earplugs of three types.

See: Ear plugs →

“Fungi” and “Arrows” are pulled out of the ears by a special tail that sticks out slightly outside the ear. Both species are oblong. “Fungi” really look like a plump “leg”, and a “hat” sticks out from the outside.

The “arrows” have a rod that is inserted into the ear, thinner, and there are 3-4 circular membranes on it. They are soft, take the shape of the ear and at the same time additionally protect it from water.

“Bubbles” are fully inserted into the ear, nothing sticks out from the outside. To get them, you need to press your finger on the cavity under the ear, the ball will pop out by itself. It cannot fall inside the ear due to its size.

In addition to the shape, swimming earplugs have a few other differences.

• There are special ear plugs for small ears.
• If desired, you can find silicone-free earplugs – hypoallergenic material containing wax and almond oil.
• There is a model of ear plugs that does not allow water to flow into the ears, while not blocking the hearing of surrounding sounds. Of course, the sound is muffled in it, but, for example, the coach’s commands can be heard quite well. This is achieved due to the void inside the silicone “leg”.

See also: Shoots the ear, what to do at home →

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Next article

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• Everyone in the pool! Water aerobics will get rid of excess weight, cellulite and help you relax

• Shooting in the ear: how to relieve pain and avoid infection

• Otitis: causes of inflammation, symptoms, treatment

• Calculate the fungus: what leads to the development of mycoses and how to avoid otitis media

• Swimmers take note. How to prevent otitis media

Water in the ear does not come out: what to do

Water in the ear is not only an unpleasant sensation, but also a potential danger. We tell you what to do so that after bathing there is no external otitis, and also what you should not do in any case.

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Have you just had a good swim or spent a couple of wonderful hours lying in a cozy bubble bath with scented candles? Very pleasant sensations – but then, like a fly in the ointment, it appears, water in the ear. By the way, it can be not only water after swimming, but also, for example, sweat – on a hot day or after an intense workout, especially if the auditory canals are plugged with headphones, this is not uncommon. Usually we don’t even really notice the discomfort or it doesn’t last very long – well, yes, water got into the ear and it was blocked, as it was blocked, it will be postponed, but sometimes the moisture lingers there, and then you have to take additional actions to get rid of it.

And you definitely need to get rid of it – firstly, the liquid prevents you from listening and hearing – you distinguish sounds worse, as if you are still under water. Secondly, bacteria prefer to live in a humid environment, they multiply faster there, and this is not good for your health, because many bacteria provoke the development of inflammatory processes. Otitis externa, or “swimmer’s ear”, is a common consequence of fresh or sea water getting into the ear. To prevent the development of infection, you need to remove moisture from the ear canal as soon as possible and do it correctly without harming yourself. What to do if water does not come out of the ear, and what measures should not be taken in any case?

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Water in the ear: what to do

We will describe several ways to remove water from the ear after swimming or exercising. Important: do not make sudden movements, the hearing aid is quite gentle, so you need to do everything carefully.

1. Take a clean soft towel, tissue or other cloth. Blot the outside of your ear. There is no need to climb inside with a towel, it is enough to dry the outer part of the ear.
2. Tilt your head with the affected ear down. Gently pull yourself on the lobe of this ear. This will open up the ear canal, and the water will probably find its way out. You can not bend over, but simply lie on your side on the side with your ear stuffed up.
3. If that doesn’t help, try vacuuming the water out of your ear. You always have the means for this at hand – that is, it is your hand. Tilt your head with the injured ear down, press your palm against it so that it covers the ear. Press it harder and release it, repeat the same steps several times. Thus, congestion can disappear.
4. Another option is a warm compress. Apply it to your ear for 30 seconds, remove it for a minute, repeat the same 4-5 times. The compress can be made from the same towel that you used to wipe your ear before, just dip it in hot water and wring it out. The temperature of the compress should be above body temperature, but not by much.
5. A hairdryer can be used instead of a compress. Set it to minimum and blow into your ear from a distance of at least 30 centimeters. As you might guess, this will dry out the inside of the ear, and if there is less moisture, then, perhaps, the water plug will resolve faster. By the way, the life hack to pull on the earlobe works here too.

The following methods can only be used if you are sure that your eardrum is not damaged. Otherwise, excess fluid can get even deeper into the ear, and then not only external, but also otitis media can develop. All three methods below involve putting something in the ear.

1. The easiest way is to buy ear canal drying drops at the pharmacy.
2. You can also make these drops on your own: mix medical alcohol and ordinary vinegar in a 1:1 ratio, put a few drops into the affected ear with a pipette and wait half a minute for the solution to take effect. Then bend your ear down and pull yourself by the lobe again. Alcohol works as a drying agent and antiseptic, while vinegar works as an antibacterial agent.
3. Ordinary hydrogen peroxide can also help. It will soften the contents of the ear – 3-4 drops from a pipette, wait a couple of minutes, then bend your ear down again and pull yourself by the earlobe.

If none of our 8 ways helped, make an appointment with a doctor. He will definitely deal with your ear, and even see if there are any signs of otitis media. Some of them you can notice yourself.

In the early stage: itching in the ear canal, slight redness that is visible from the outside, slight discomfort that is aggravated by pulling or pressing on the auricle, clear liquid flowing out.

In the middle stage: more itching, pain, increasing redness, fluid leakage, hearing loss, feeling as if the ear is full.

In the advanced stage: severe pain that may radiate to the head or neck, blockage of the ear canal, swelling or redness of the ear, fever, swelling of the lymph nodes.

These are signs that otitis externa is developing with might and main, and you will need an appointment with an otolaryngologist even at an early stage.

What not to do if there is water in your ear

The steps below seem obvious, but they can only make you feel worse. Under no circumstances:

1. Get into the ear with any object – cotton swabs, fingers, or some other means at hand. They will not help remove the obstacle and unblock the way for water, on the contrary, a finger or a cotton swab easily collects sulfur, forming a cork. Cotton swabs are especially harmful – due to their small diameter they can penetrate very deeply into the ear, they can easily damage the eardrum. In addition, the skin inside the ear canal is too delicate, easy to scratch, and any scratch is a “highway” for infection.
2. Endure. The longer you endure – the greater the activity of bacteria, respectively, the higher the risk of developing otitis media. If water gets into the ear and it hurts, consult a doctor as soon as possible, maybe the inflammatory processes have already begun.