Otitis externa or swimmers ear is an infection of the ear canal. The ear canal is the tube that carries sounds from the outside of the body to the eardrum. Swimmers ear is caused by many different types of bacteria or fungi in the ear canal. In many cases swimmers ear affects people who spend much time in the water. An accumulation of too much moisture irritates the canal and allows the bacteria or fungi to get in. Of course the summer time in most areas of the U.S. is the prime time for swimmers ear.

Swimmers aren’t the only ones who suffer from this. Otitis externa can be caused by any breaks in the skin of the ear canal such as eczema or a scratch in the canal. You can even get this from cleaning your ear with cotton tipped applicators or foreign objects such as paper clips or hearing aids being inserted into the ear.

Ways to prevent swimmers ear range from holding your head sideways to drain water from your ear after swimming to blow drying your ears after contact with water. If you use a blow dryer be sure to hold it 18 inches away from your ear and set it on warm or cool for about one minute. The best defense is to keep the water out by using silicon soft ear plugs.

Treatment for swimmers ear includes using an eye dropper full of half white kitchen vinegar and half rubbing alcohol solution and putting a few drops in your ear after swimming. If your ear is already irritated substitute the alcohol with water. Other things used as remedies for swimmers ear include sweet oil or warm baby oil put in the ear from an eye dropper.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ If you have had any ear surgery or punctured eardrums including tubes in your ears do not use any of the above recommendations. Please visit a doctor for treatment.