Swimmer’s ear, also known as otitis externa, is a common condition characterized by inflammation, irritation or infection of the outer ear canal.
Swimmer’s ear often occurs due to water retention in the ear canal, especially after swimming in a high-bacteria environment. When water gets trapped in the ear canal, bacteria can grow and quickly lead to an infection.
What Are the Risk Factors for Swimmer’s Ear?
Several risk factors contribute to the development of swimmer’s ear, including high humidity, using small objects like cotton swabs or fingers to scratch or clean the ears, dry ear canal skin, torn ear canal, excess earwax, swimming in unclean water and improper hearing aid care.
What Are the Symptoms of Swimmer’s Ear?
Typical symptoms of swimmer’s ear include a feeling of fullness and discomfort in the ear, muffled hearing and redness or inflammation. In most cases, proper treatment can alleviate symptoms within seven to ten days. However, because painful and prolonged symptoms can arise, preventing swimmer’s ear through safe hearing aid care is essential.
How Can You Prevent Swimmer’s Ear?
You don’t need to stop enjoying the many benefits of hearing aids to prevent swimmer’s ear. Some guidelines to keep in mind to prevent swimmer’s ear include:
- Clean your hearing aids. Regularly cleaning your devices is essential to prevent excess bacterial contamination in the ear canal. Clean your devices according to the manual and refer any questions regarding device care to your hearing aid specialist.
- Wear earplugs. Wearing earplugs while swimming can effectively block bacteria and water from entering the ear canal, thereby lowering the risk of swimmer’s ear.
- Dry your ears. After a swim at Openlands Lakeshore Beach, thoroughly dry your ears before putting your hearing aids back in. To dry your ears, tilt your head to one side to drain excess water, and gently pat dry the outer ears with a clean towel. Repeat on the other side. If you’re especially prone to swimmer’s ear, use a blow dryer on the lowest setting held at least a foot away from the ear to dry the ear canal. Remember that if the dryer feels hot, it is too close to the ear or on too high a setting.
For more information on protecting your ear health, contact North Shore Audio-Vestibular Lab today to make an appointment with one of our specialists.