Swimmer's ear

Description

Swimmer's ear is an infection in the external ear canal. The external ear canal runs from the eardrum to the outside of the head. Swimmer's ear is often brought on by water that remains in the ear. The moisture helps the bacteria to grow.

Putting fingers, cotton swabs or other objects in the ears can damage the thin layer of skin lining the external auditory canal. This also can lead to swimmer's ear.

Swimmer's ear is also called otitis externa. The drops for the ear, usually you can treat swimmer's ear. The treatment of the swimmer ear quickly can help prevent complications and more-serious infections.

Symptoms

Swimmer's ear symptoms are usually mild at first. But can worsen if the infection is not treated or differential. Doctors usually classify the swimmer's ear as mild, moderate and advanced.

Mild symptoms

  • Itching in the ear canal.
  • Slight redness on the inside of the ear, which might be hard to see in Black or brown skin.
  • A mild discomfort that is worse by pulling the ear, called the pinna or pavilion, or pushing the little bulge in the front of the ear called the tragus.
  • Fluid coming from the ear.

Moderate symptoms

  • To worsen the itching.
  • Increased pain.
  • Feeling of fullness inside the ear and a partial blockage in the ear canal swelling, fluid, and waste.
  • Decreased or muffled hearing.

Advanced symptoms

  • The intense pain that can radiate to the face, the neck or the side of the head.
  • Fully locked into the ear canal.
  • Redness or inflammation of the external part of the ear. The redness can be hard to see in Black or brown the skin.
  • Swelling in the small, round or bean-shaped groups of cells, called lymph nodes in the neck.
  • Fever.

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment to receive medical help to even mild symptoms of swimmer's ear.

Get urgent medical help , or go to an emergency room for:

  • The severe pain.
  • Fever.

Causes

Swimmer's ear is an infection that is usually caused by bacteria. It is less common that a fungus, or virus that causes swimmer's ear.

The ear's natural defenses

The outer ear channels have built-in ways to stay clean and free of infection:

  • A thin film of lines in the ear canal, which helps to keep the water out and the growth of bacteria. Earwax, also called cerumen, is a build-up of this waxy film, dead skin cells and other debris that travels to the opening of the ear canal to keep it clean.
  • The external ear , mostly around the opening of the ear canal, helping to keep things from going into the ear.

How infection occurs

Having swimmer's ear means that the ear's natural defenses have not worked well. The conditions that often play a role in the infection include:

  • The moisture in the ear canal to make itan ideal place for bacteria to grow.
  • Contact with contaminated water.
  • The damage to the skin of the external ear canal, which can be a point of entry for the bacteria.

Risk factors

The following factors may increase the risk of swimmer's ear:

  • The water in the ear canal. This can be from heavy sweating, continuous wet weather or water remaining in the ear after swimming.
  • Contact with the bacteria in the water.
  • The cleaning of the ear canal with cotton swabs, hair pins, or nails. This can lead to scratches or wounds.
  • Ear devices, such as headphones or hearing aids. These can cause small wounds in the skin.
  • Eczema or other itchy skin conditions.

Complications

Swimmer's ear usually is not serious if treated quickly. But the complications that can occur include:

  • Short-term hearing loss. The audience could be cushioned. Normally it gets better after the infection clears.
  • Long-term infection, called chronic otitis externa. This implies that the symptoms of outer ear infection that lasts more than three months. Chronic infections are more common if treatment is hard. The treatment can be difficult when there is a rare strain of the bacteria, an allergic reaction on the skin, an allergic reaction to antibiotics, ear drops, a skin condition such as dermatitis or psoriasis, or a combination of bacterial and fungal infections.
  • Deep tissue infection, which is called cellulite. Rarely, swimmer's ear can spread deep into the skin.
  • The bone and cartilage damage, at the beginning of osteomyelitis of the skull base. This is a rare complication of swimmer's ear. What happens if the infection spreads to the signing of the tissues, orf in the outer ear, called cartilage, and bones of the lower part of the skull. This causes severe pain that gets worse. Being older or you have diabetes or a weakened immune system increases the risk of this complication.
  • The infection that goes beyond the ear. If adadvanced skull base osteomyelitis is because of swimmer's ear, the infection can spread and affect other parts of the body. These may include in the brain or in the nearby nerves. This complication can be fatal.

Prevention

Follow these tips to avoid the swimmer's ear:

  • Keep the ears dry.After swimming or bathing, the tip of his head from side to side with the ear on each side down. This helps the water drain from the ear canal. Dry the outer ear gently with a soft towel. You can also safely dry the outer ear canal with a hair dryer. Use the lowest setting and keep it at least 1 foot (0.3 meters) away from the ear.
  • Home treatment to prevent swimmer's ear.If you know that you don't have a punctured eardrum, it can cause the ear drops by mixing 1 part white vinegar 1 part isopropyl alcohol. The use of this mixture helps the ear dry and prevents the growth of bacteria and fungi. Before and after swimming, pour 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of the mixture in each ear. Let it drain out.
  • Swim with caution. Do not swim in lakes or rivers when you view issued warnings of high bacteria counts.
  • Protect your ears while swimming. Use ear plugs or a swimming cap while swimming to keep the ears dry.
  • Protect the ears of the chemicals. Put the cotton balls in your ears while using products such as hair sprays and dyes for the hair.
  • Take care after an ear infection or surgery. If you have recently had an ear infection or ear surgery, talk with your health care professional before swimming.
  • Do not place objects in the ear. Never try to scratch an itch or remove the earwax with items such as a cotton swab, paper clip or hairpin. The use of these elements can lead to debris deeper into the ear canal, of the alteration of the skin on the inside of the ear or rupture of the skin.

Keep the ears dry. After swimming or bathing, the tip of his head from the side-by-side with the ear on each side down. This helps the water drain from the ear canal.

Dry the outer ear gently with a soft towel. You can also safely dry the ear canal with a hair dryer. Use the lowest setting and keep at least 1 foot (0.3 meters) away from the ear.

Home treatment to prevent swimmer's ear. If you know that you don't have a punctured eardrum, it can cause the ear drops by mixing 1 part white vinegar 1 part isopropyl alcohol. The use of this mixture helps the ear dry, and prevents the growth of bacteria and fungi.

Before and after swimming, pour 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of the mixture in each ear. Let it drain out.

What to do about the wax of the ears

The wax of the ears usually moves to the opening of the ear canal. I don'tit is easy to wash with a damp cloth. It is better to leave it as is and let the wax of the ears do their job.

If you have too much wax or blockage of your ear canal, you can do two things instead of looking outside. Consult your health care professional or the use of a home method of cleaning. Follow these steps to safety in the home for cleaning up:

  • To soften the wax. Use a dropper to put a couple of drops of baby oil, mineral oil, glycerin or diluted hydrogen peroxide into the ear canal.
  • The use of warm water. After a day or two, when the wax is sofbe, use a rubber-bulb syringe to squirt warm water into your ear canal. Tilt your head and pull the outer ear upward and backward to straighten the ear canal. Then, tilt your head to the side to allow the water to drain out.
  • Dry your ear canal. When you're finished, gently dry your outer ear with a towel or a hair dryer on a low setting.

Swimmer's ear

Diagnosis

A healthcare provider can usually diagnose swimmer's ear during an office visit. An advanced or duration of the infection may need more tests.

The first steps

Your health care professional is likely to diagnose swimmer's ear based on your symptoms, the answers to the questions and an exam. The exam may include:

  • Looks in the ear canal with a lighted instrument called an otoscope. The ear canal may appear red, swollen, and flaky. The redness can be hard to see in Black or brown the skin. It could not be the scales of the skin or other debris in the ear canal.
  • Looking at the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane. This is to ensure that it is not broken or damaged. If the view of the tympanic membrane is blocked, a health care professional to clear the ear canal with a small suction device or a tool with a small loop or ball at the end.

More tests

More evidence, if necessary, you can include the sending of a sample of fluid from the ear to search for the bacteria or a fungus.

Also:

  • If the eardrum is broken or damaged, your healthcare provider will likely refer you to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist. These specialists may use special tools to clean the ears with damaged membranes.
  • If the infection does not get better with the treatment, your healthcare provider may take a sample of discharge or debris from the ear and sends it to a laboratory. That is to find what is causing the infection.

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to stop the infection and allow the ear canal to heal.

Cleaning

Cleaning of the ear canal helps the ear drops to get all of the infected areas. A health professional will use a suction device or the ear curet to clean up and remove the discharge, lumps of wax in the ears, scaly skin and other debris.

Medicines for the infection

Most often, ear drops that have a mix of the following can treat the infection:

  • An acidic solution to help restore the ear's natural defenses.
  • A steroid to reduce swelling and irritation, called inflammation.
  • An antibiotic to fight bacteria.
  • An antifungal medicine to fight against the infection caused by a fungus.

Ask your health care provider about the best way to put in ear drops. Here are some tips that might help:

  • Hot drops by holding the bottle in your hand for a few minutes. This will bring the temperature drops closer to the body temperature.
  • If possible, have someone to help you to put the drops in the ear.
  • Lie on your side with the infected ear up for a couple of minutes after putting in the drops. This helps the medication to travel through the entire length of the ear channel.
  • Put drops in the place of the other ear, pull the ear down.

For an ear canal blocked, a health care provider may put a wick of gauze or cotton in the ear. This can help the ear to drain and help of medication to the ear canal.

If the infection is more advanced or ear drops do not delete them, your healthcare provider may prescribe antibiotics that you take by mouth.

Pain medications

Pain relievers that you can get without a prescription could relieve the discomfort of a swimmer andar. These include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen sodium (Aleve) and acetaminophen (Tylenol, others).

Help the treatment work

During the treatment, keep the ears dry to help them heal.

  • Do not swim or dive.
  • Do not use a handset, a headset or headphones, until the pain and the download stops.
  • Don't get water in your ear canal when the shower or bath. Use a cotton ball coated with petroleum jelly to protect the ear during a shower or a bath.

Preparing for your appointment

Here are some suggestions to help you prepare for your appointment.

What you can do

Make a list of:

  • Your symptoms and when they started.
  • All the drugs, vitamins, and supplements you are taking, including dosage.
  • Your allergies, such as skin reactions or allergies to medications.
  • Questions to ask your health care professional.

Some basic questions to ask about swimmer's ear include:

  • What is likely causing problems with my ear?
  • What is the best treatment?
  • When should I expect to get better?
  • What do I need to do a follow-up of the application of theointment?
  • How can I avoid getting swimmer's ear again?
  • Do you have brochures or other printed material I can have? What sites do you recommend?

Be sure to ask all the questions you have about the swimmer's ear.

What to expect from your doctor

Your healthhcare professional is likely to ask questions such as:

  • Has been swimming lately?
  • Do you swim often?
  • Where anything?
  • Have you ever had swimmer's ear before?
  • Does the use of cotton swabs or other objects to clean your ears?
  • Does the use of headphones or the other ear devices?
  • Has had recent ear tests or procedures?
Symptoms and treatment of Swimmer's ear