Swimmer's Ear: What is It? How Do I Treat It? How Do I Prevent It?

Summer Health Alert

"Mommy my ears hurt' If you are hearing this complaint your child may have 'otitis externa' (outer ear) infection, known commonly as 'swimmer's ear'. Swimmer's ear is a bacterial/ fungal infection that is very painful and uncomfortable. The ear will itch, ache and burn all at the same time. Swimmer's ear is caused by water trapped in the ear. The skin of the ear drum gets wrinkly in water, just like your fingertips do in the bath. A white scaly fungus forms in the wet ear drum wrinkles.

Swimmer's ear is a bit of a misnomer. Certainly children who are swimming are in the water more, but swimming is not the only way to get the condition. Water can get lodged in the ear just from bathing or showering. Often you may have no sensation of the ear being plugged or having water in it. It takes only a tiny bit of trapped moisture to get swimmer's ear and cause the fungus to grow. The shape and size of a person's inner and outer ear makes some ears easier prey to swimmer's ear. Some families are more genetically predisposed to swimmer's ear, due to physical similarities.

An antibiotic will not help a fungal infection like swimmer's ear. The fungus must be cleaned out and steps taken to prevent new fungal growth. You can have a doctor flush the fungus out or you can flush the ears yourself. Flushing the ear may be very painful, especially if the fungus has had time to grow. Flushing may increase the burning or aching, but you must flush out the fungus or it will only get worse. You can take some Tylenol or Advil about one half an hour before you flush if you wish. If you are flushing a child's ear, you may want to give the child some Children's Tylenol (acetaminophen) Children's Advil (ibuprofen) to ease pain. Ibuprofen has the added benefit of being an anti-inflammatory agent and will reduce swelling in the ear also.