Understand Swimmer’s Ear, and How It is Treated

Summers are jam-packed with fun and games unless you get severe pain. Certain activities may lead to falling or slipping off your child or any of the family member around the pool or getting severe infection or fever or the most dreadful one, catching Swimmer’s Ear due to being in the water for too long. These situations might alter your summer planning, putting a rain on your parade. But mind it you can’t ignore these. While getting too much occupied with kids and families, it gets a little convoluted to notice what’s happening with us.

Understanding Swimmer’s Ear

Spending too much time in the pools to get rid of the excessive heat of summers is what everyone loves to do. But sometimes cooling off in the ocean or pool for day long may lead to painful ear inflammation or infection which is known as the Swimmer’s ear syndrome.

Swimmer’s Ear, also known as External Otitis is the most excruciating ear infection that happens on the external side of the ear. This harrowing condition is caused by the bacteria present in the swimming pools that lead to extreme inflammation of the outer skin covering of ear as well as ear canal following the extreme exposure to pool or ocean water. The moisture caught in the ear canal is trapped by the wax that leads to the spreading of the bacterial or fungal microflora, developing a severe infection. Sometimes this infection can also be developed if someone bathes carelessly by avoiding the precautionary measures.

Our skin gets affected by the bacterial infection just from topical exposure. Moreover, our chances of getting infection increase further, if our ear has a cut or scrape. These are the major factors that bring such health conditions.

Signs and Symptoms of Swimmer’s Ear

If you have a cut on your ear and you are also experiencing any of the following signs and symptoms, then it might be the time to take it seriously. It is high time you take extra care in such conditions.

• Itchiness and Redness: The most elusive sign of Swimmer’s ear is the common Redness and Itchiness on external ear symptom. It will start with a slight discomfort experienced around the ears. With the worsening of the condition, you may feel incredible heat evolving out of redness or fierce desire to scratch your ear, but mind it you should not! If you do so, it will lead to turning the case more severe.

• Pain, Inflammation and Swelling: With the worsening of the condition, you will encounter pain, inflammation and swelling. These are the subtle symptoms of the Swimmer’s ear. If you experience severe and serious pain, then the chances are high that you might have got affected with the Swimmer’s ear ailment. It is a high time that you should alert yourself and take proper treatment to stop the case worsening further.

• Slight Drainage: A slight fluid is expected to ooze out of the ear on getting affected from the Swimmer’s ear case. Sometimes, pain and inflammation are not that severe. In such a case, you should rather wait until the ear starts draining. Other symptoms might include the cases of Fever, Blockage in-ear, sensation in the ear, unable to hear properly, Pain in the upper neck. In such conditions, you should take the best precautionary measures.

To prevent the further spreading of infection, you must get it treated as soon as possible from an expert ENT specialist near you as it might ensue agonizing negative effects.

Swimmer’s Ear : Treatment and Prevention

On experiencing any of the above signs, consult an experienced ENT specialist near you right away. It will provide you access to the medical professionals who will thereby assist you with the advanced medical treatment sought. Remember that an experienced ENT specialist will thoroughly observe the case to assist you by offering the best and quickest treatment at any time you let them know.

• While getting treated for Swimmer’s Ear, an ENT specialist will be assiduously cleaning the ear canal and also most effective ear drops will be recommended by him/her to inhibit fungal and bacterial growth. It will lower down the inflammation. In the case of early infections, mild acetic drops containing acetic acid or boric acid will work well.

• In case of severe infections, Antibiotic treatment will be recommended by the ENT specialist which is applied directly to your ear. A wick or sponge can be placed by them in the ear to ascertain that the drops reach their destination easily.

• Topical treatment is prescribed by the expert ENT specialists in case you have tubes in your ears. It leads to reach the oral antibiotics to the infections below the skin. Pain relief medications are also prescribed in the case of severe pain.

• Follow up appointments are required by the physicians in order to re-clean the ear canal and to replace the sponge or wick. It will take only 7-10 days to clear up your infection.

Home Remedies

You can also get these issues resolved by choosing to get treated by the home remedies. Some of the home remedies are extremely beneficial for this purpose. Here are they explained in detail:

• A heating pad can be used to provide warmth for some temporary relief. Sometimes, white vinegar rinse is also used but in the mild cases only to restore the pH of the ear canal. But mind it, these are only temporary treatments. It is very much important to consult an experienced ENT professional to prevent its further spread and to turn into serious infections.

Prevention Tips

• Always use earplugs while you are swimming.
• It is quite vital to thoroughly dry your ears after swimming or bathing.
• Always use cotton swabs with utmost care while you are cleaning ears.

We have a great professional team of experienced ent surgeons in Dubai. So, if you are experiencing even a mild sign of Swimmer’s Ear, contact us today to schedule an appointment with most experienced ENT professionals of your city to get such critical issues resolved under the experts’ guidance.