Understanding & Preventing Swimmer's Ear

Water activities are a great way to cool off in the summer heat. However, understanding how to protect yourself and your ears from infection in crucial for making sure you enjoy your time at the pool, on the lake, and at the beach. 

Pools, lakes, sprinklers, and more water activities are a great pastime for kids, teens, and adults of all ages when the sun is out and temperatures are high. Although these water activities are fun and a way to cool off in the summer heat, it is important that you are taking care of your health, specifically your ear health.

What is Swimmer’s Ear?

Swimmer’s ear is an infection in the outer ear canal caused when water enters the ear and causes a moist environment inside the ear. This moist environment then aids the growth of bacteria within the ear, leading to infection. Another cause of swimmer’s ear comes from scratching the inside of the ear, which damages the skin of the ear canal. Additional causes of swimmer's ear could include:

• Getting something stuck in your ear
• Losing earwax due to excessive cleaning or presence of water
• Injuring your ear
• Swimming in fresh water like lakes, oceans, or ponds
• Skin conditions in or around the ear like Eczema or Psoriasis
• Exposure to chemicals in hair products
• Using ear buds or hearing aids

Symptoms

There are a variety of symptoms with swimmer’s ear that are classified in three levels of severity.

Mild symptoms of swimmer's ear include:

• Itching in your ear canal
• Slight redness inside your ear
• Mild discomfort that is made worse by pulling on the outer part of your ear or pushing on the little "bump" in front of your ear (tragus)
• Drainage of clear, odorless fluid from your ear

Moderate symptoms of swimmer’s ear include:

• More-intense itching
• Increasing pain of your ear or around your ear
• More-extensive redness in your ear
• Excessive fluid drainage from your ear
• A feeling of fullness inside your ear and partial blockage of your ear canal by swelling, fluid, and debris
• Decreased or muffled hearing

Advanced symptoms of swimmer’s ear include:

• Severe pain that might radiate to the face, neck, or side of head
• Complete blockage of the ear canal
• Redness or swelling of the outer ear
• Swollen lymph nodes in your neck
• Fever

It is recommended that you reach out to your primary care provider or visit urgent care if you are experiencing any symptoms regardless of the severity of them. It is important to diagnose and treat swimmer’s ear early to avoid further damage to your hearing or ear.

Treatment & Prevention

If you are diagnosed with swimmer’s ear, your provider may prescribe antibiotics to fight the infection as well as corticosteroids to reduce itching and inflammation in your ear. Your provider may also suggest taking medication like acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain and inflammation. Some ways to prevent swimmer’s ear include:

• Avoid scratching your ears
• Do not insert cotton swabs or other objects in your ears
• Prevent water from entering your ear when showering, bathing, or swimming
• Avoid swimming in polluted water
• Use earplugs when swimming
• Regularly cleaning your earbuds and hearing aids 

Sources: mayoclinic.org, mountsinia.org, clevelandclinic.org