Now’s the time of year when we love to be outdoors and getting physical – gardening, biking, running, baseball, golf, boating. Summer is when we all like to get out and move.
It’s also the time of year when external ear infections are common. Known as external otitis or swimmer’s ear, external ear infections are due to bacteria getting through the wax barrier of the external canal and inflaming the underlying skin. Since the skin is attached directly to bone, pain can start quickly and intensely. The ear can get so swollen that the inflamed skin blocks hearing, and it can be the worse pain one has ever experienced.
Treating these is all about getting ear drops deep into the canal. The ear drops work a number of different ways, but any ear drop that changes the acidity or pH of the canal can be effective.
If this summer, you suddenly get ear pain and the ear is tender to touch, try putting a few drops of white wine vinegar in the ear canal every 2 or 3 hours. If it gets worse, see an ear specialist. Specialists typically place a small expandable wick in the ear canal and use medicated ear drops to expand the wick. The wick bathes the inflamed ear skin in the medication and helps resolve swelling and pain very quickly.
If you have a tendency to get these external ear infections after swimming, place vinegar or rubbing alcohol in the ear after getting out of the water.
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