Swimmer's Ear Prevention, Treatment and Remedies

Swimmer's ear (otitis externa, external otitis) is an infection of the external ear or the ear canal.

If you do swim a lot, often get the ears wet or spend a lot of time in moist climates, it can happen that excessive moisture causes this painful ear condition.

Symptoms

The following symptoms characterize this outer ear infection:

• Itchiness, redness of the outer ear and the ear canal.
• Ear pain, especially when touching the ear or during ear movements.
• Liquid that flows out of the ear
• Muffled hearing
• Dizziness

Causes

A patient with swimmer's ear.
Image courtesy of Klaus D Peter

Normally the ear canal is protected against infections by the ear wax, that is slightly acidic and kills of bacteria. However, repetitive exposure to water can leave moisture in the ear that neutralizes the acidic environment. Bacteria can then develop.

Another frequent cause are scratches in the ear canal caused by foreign objects inserted in the ear, for example cotton-tipped swabs, ear plugs, earphones and so on. The skin of the ear canal is very thin and scratches allow bacteria to enter the organism and cause the infection.

More seldom, the ear infection is caused by fungus. This is especially true in tropical environments.

Swimmer's Ear Prevention

One of the first pieces of advice to avoid swimmer's ear is to always dry your hair and your ears thoroughly, especially if you do a lot of swimming or have long hair. Use a blow dryer to dry your hair, then hold it about 1 - 1/2 foot from your ear, use a low heat position and let the air gently blow into your ear so that the water evaporates. You can also gently rub your finger at the ear canal opening and tilt your head so that the remaining water flows out of the ear.

Another piece of advice is to wear a swim cap while swimming, as it will limit exposure of your ears to water. You can also wear swimming ear plugs, but be sure that they are made of a soft material.

Avoid inserting hard objects into your ear. Those can remove the protective ear wax or scratch your ear canal and then allow bacteria to enter your organism.

You should also avoid to swim in polluted lakes, as those will contain much more bacteria than the sanitized water of a public swimming pool.

Swimmer's Ear Treatment

First of all, avoid to go to the pool if you start to experience ear pain. Over the counter ear drops might provide some relief but aren't usually strong enough to cure the problem. If the pain persists more than a day, it is advisable to consult a doctor.

The doctor will examine your ear, clean it and remove any debris that could be located in the ear canal. He most likely will then apply a solution into your ear that contains one or several of the following components:

• antibiotics to kill of bacteria
• an anti fungal to kill off fungus
• an acidic solution to restore the acidic environment of the ear canal
• steroids to fight the inflammation

If the ear canal is swollen to the point that the solution can't reach the end of the canal, the doctor may insert a wick soaked with the solution so that it can act for a couple of days. Once the swelling has decreased enough, prescription ear drops can be used to completely cure the problem.

The infection should normally disappear in a couple of days after the beginning of the treatment.

Swimmer's Ear Home Remedies

A popular home remedy against the infection is to mix a solution composed of 1/2 half of white vinegar and 1/2 half of rubbing alcohol. Some drops of this solution can then be placed in the ear before and after a swim session. The solution will help kill off bacteria and restore the slightly acidic environment of the ear canal.