Swimmers Ear Treatment

The human ear consists of an outer ear, middle ear and an inner ear. The outer ear consists of the visible part of the ear, i.e. the ear lobe and the ear canal that leads to the eardrum, which separates the outer ear from the inner ear. Normally, the ear canal in a human ear is around 2.5 centimeters in length and up to 8 millimeters in width. Apart from carrying the sound waves to the eardrum, the ear canal protects the inner structures through different ways. The inner surface of the ear canal has numerous tiny hair that work as barriers for tiny particles that enter the ear. The skin that lines the ear canal secretes earwax which also acts as a barrier to those particles that find entry into the ear. Apart from that, the ear canal has an acidic environment that does prevents the survival of microorganisms entering the ear canal.

However, all these protective features work efficiently, only when the ear canal is dry. Any kind of excess moisture in the ear canal may lead to ear infections. One such infection is the swimmers ear or otitis externa. As the name suggests, this condition is most commonly seen in swimmers and divers, especially those who are more exposed to water.

Causes and Symptoms

As mentioned above, swimmers ear is caused by excess moisture in the ear canal. This moist atmosphere in the ear canal leads to growth of microorganisms, that cause infection. It cannot be said that only swimmers are affected by this condition, but, any person can contract a swimmers ear if water enters the ear canal and generates an atmosphere that is favorable for microorganisms. Usually, bacteria is found to be the causal agent for swimmers ear, but, fungi and viruses may also cause this condition. While, the initial stages are characterized with mild symptoms, the infection may worsen, if left untreated, causing severe symptoms. While the initial symptoms include itching and redness of the ear canal, some people may experience fluid drainage too. As the condition worsens, the affected person may experience an increase in drainage (with pus), severe pain, fever and hearing problems. The lymph nodes in the nearby areas may get swollen and the skin of the outer ear may become red and flaky.

Swimmers Ear Treatment

This condition has to be treated at the onset itself so as to prevent further complications. Mild cases of swimmers ear heal on their own as the ear canal gets dry. However, others need swimmers ear infection treatment, where, antibiotics is the most common mode of treating this condition. Both oral antibiotics and antibiotic ear drops are prescribed. Ear drops can be a combination of antibiotics, anti fungal medication, acidic solutions (for restoring the acidic balance of the ear canal) and steroids to reduce the swelling caused by infection. If the condition is severe with increased drainage and blockage of the ear canal, a suction device is used to remove the debris in the ear canal. This is done, so that the medication reaches the inner surface of the ear canal, which would otherwise, be covered with the debris. Sometimes, the doctor may insert a wick into the blocked ear, so that the medicine reaches the area of infection. There are also various home remedies for this condition and swimmers ear home treatment includes apple cider vinegar and hot compresses.

If you experience any of the symptoms, it is always better to consult an ENT specialist and get the condition diagnosed. If it is otitis externa, stick to the treatment plan and get the condition treated at the earliest.