Remedies For Swimmer’s Ear

By: arpita

• Home Remedies

December 1, 2009

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Swimmer’s ear is an infection, usually caused by bacteria, of the outer ear and the ear canal. Exposure to excess moisture, for instance during swimming, is responsible for this infection. Water trapped in the ear canal makes it susceptible to swimmer’s ear.

Swimmer’s ear causes

If for some reason, the water resistant layer of the ear is damaged, bacteria could grow on the skin of the inner ear, developing infection. A wax-like substance, known as cerumen, is secreted by the ear. Cerumen forms water resistant layer. Moreover, the acidic and antibacterial property of cerumen prevents growth of bacteria in the ear.

If moisture remains in the ear, the cerumen layer becomes thin and less acidic, making the environment inside the ear favorable for bacterial growth. Bacterial infection can also occur if the skin lining the ear canal is scratched with a sharp object such as a hairpin.

Besides swimming, excess earwax that tends to trap water in the ear canal could cause swimmer’s ear. Skin allergy from hair care products could also cause this condition.

Swimmer’s ear symptoms

The symptoms of swimmer’s ear include itching of the ear canal, redness of the skin, pus formation, excess fluid discharge, sensitivity to ear movement, hearing buzzing sounds in the ear, ear feels stuffy, ear pain and the outer ear skin becomes flaky.

Swimmer’s ear home remedies

Home remedies can help to cure mild swimmer’s ear. Blow-drying your ear canal with a hair dryer could help to remove the moisture trapped in the ear canal. To reduce ear pain, you can apply hot compress on your ear with a heating pad or hot water bottle. Putting a few drops of white vinegar in the ear canal could help to cure the problem.

Swimmer’s ear could be treated with apple cider vinegar. Mix equal proportions of apple cider vinegar and water or alcohol and pour a few drops of the mixture in your ear canal. Alcohol, lanolin, mineral oil and baby oil can also help to cure swimmer’s ear.

They help to dry the ear canal and kill the infection causing bacteria. If you are susceptible to swimmer’s ear, to prevent moisture retention in the ear canal, put one or two drops of alcohol in the ear after swimming or bathing.

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