Swimmer's ear

Swimmer's ear symptoms are usually mild at first, but they can worsen if your infection isn't treated or spreads. Doctors often classify swimmer's ear according to mild, moderate and advanced stages of progression.

Mild signs and symptoms

• Itching in your ear canal
• Slight redness inside your ear
• Mild discomfort that's made worse by pulling on your outer ear (pinna or auricle) or pushing on the little "bump" in front of your ear (tragus)
• Some drainage of clear, odorless fluid

Moderate progression

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

Advanced progression

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

Contact your doctor if you have even mild signs or symptoms of swimmer's ear.

Call your doctor immediately or visit the emergency room if you have:

• Severe pain
• Fever

Swimmer's ear is an infection that's usually caused by bacteria. It's less common for a fungus or virus to cause swimmer's ear.

Your ear's natural defenses

Your outer ear canals have natural defenses that help keep them clean and prevent infection. Protective features include:

• A thin, water-repellent, slightly acidic film lines the ear canal and discourages bacterial growth. Earwax (cerumen) is an accumulation of this waxy film, dead skin cells and other debris that travels to the opening of the ear canal to keep it clean.
• The outer ear, particularly around the opening of the ear canal, helps prevent foreign bodies from entering.

How the infection occurs

If you have swimmer's ear, your natural defenses have been overwhelmed. The conditions that often play a role in infection include:

• Moisture in the ear canal that creates an ideal environment for bacterial growth
• Exposure to contaminated water
• Damage to the sensitive skin of the ear canal that creates an opening for infection

Factors that can increase the risk of swimmer's ear include:

• Excess moisture in your ear canal from heavy perspiration, prolonged humid weather or water remaining in the ear after swimming
• Exposure to high bacteria levels in contaminated water
• Cleaning the ear canal with cotton swabs, hairpins or fingernails, which can cause scratches or abrasions
• Ear devices, such as earbuds or hearing aids, which can cause tiny breaks in the skin

Swimmer's ear usually isn't serious if treated promptly, but complications can occur.

• Temporary hearing loss. You might have muffled hearing that usually gets better after the infection clears.
• Long-term infection (chronic otitis externa). An outer ear infection is usually considered chronic if signs and symptoms persist for more than three months. Chronic infections are more common if there are conditions that make treatment difficult, such as a rare strain of bacteria, an allergic skin reaction, an allergic reaction to antibiotic eardrops, a skin condition such as dermatitis or psoriasis, or a combination of a bacterial and a fungal infection.
• Deep tissue infection (cellulitis). Rarely, swimmer's ear can spread into deep layers and connective tissues of the skin.
• Bone and cartilage damage (early skull base osteomyelitis). This is a rare complication of swimmer's ear that occurs as the infection spreads to the cartilage of the outer ear and bones of the lower part of the skull, causing increasingly severe pain. Older adults, people with diabetes or people with weakened immune systems are at increased risk of this complication.
• More-widespread infection. If swimmer's ear develops into advanced skull base osteomyelitis, the infection can spread and affect other parts of your body, such as the brain or nearby nerves. This rare complication can be life-threatening.

Follow these tips to avoid swimmer's ear:

• Keep your ears dry. After swimming or bathing, tip your head to the side to help water drain from your ear canal. Dry only your outer ear, wiping it gently with a soft towel. You can safely dry your outer ear canal with a blow-dryer if you put it on the lowest setting and hold it at least a foot (about 0.3 meters) away from the ear.
• At-home preventive treatment. If you know you don't have a punctured eardrum, you can use homemade preventive eardrops of 1 part white vinegar to 1 part rubbing alcohol. This solution promotes drying and helps prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. Before and after swimming, pour 1 teaspoon (about 5 milliliters) of the solution into each ear and let it drain back out. Similar over-the-counter solutions might be available at your drugstore.
• Swim wisely. Don't swim in lakes or rivers on days when warnings of high bacteria counts are posted.
• Protect your ears while swimming. Wear earplugs or a swimming cap while swimming to keep your ears dry.
• Protect your ears from irritants. Put cotton balls in your ears while applying products such as hair sprays and hair dyes.
• Use caution after an ear infection or surgery. If you've recently had an ear infection or ear surgery, talk to your doctor before swimming.
• Avoid putting foreign objects in your ear. Never attempt to scratch an itch or dig out earwax with items such as a cotton swab, paper clip or hairpin. Using these items can pack material deeper into your ear canal, irritate the thin skin inside your ear or break the skin.

What to do about earwax

Earwax usually moves to the opening of the ear canal, where you can gently wash it away with a damp cloth. It's best to leave it alone and let earwax do its job.

If you have an excess of earwax or it's blocking your ear canal, you can do two things rather than digging it out. See your doctor or use an at-home cleaning method. Follow these steps for safe at-home cleaning:

• Soften the wax. Use an eyedropper to apply a few drops of baby oil, mineral oil, glycerin or diluted hydrogen peroxide in your ear canal.
• Use warm water. After a day or two, when the wax is softened, use a rubber-bulb syringe to gently squirt warm water into your ear canal. Tilt your head and pull your outer ear up and back to straighten your ear canal. When finished irrigating, tip your head to the side to let the water drain out.
• Dry your ear canal. When finished, gently dry your outer ear with a towel or blow-dryer.