Dr. Jangid

Hi, I am Dr Khatri and I am an ENT surgeon. I will tell you something about Swimmer's ears.

Swimmer's ear is an infection which is caused due to dirty water. It is an infection of the outer ear and the ear canal which can result in itching, pain and discharge from the ear.

The common causes are;

• Exposing to dirty water or long standing water like lakes and pond which contains a high content of bacteria.
• It can also be due to some bacterial like lisa dumas or other bacterias. But also can be due to some fungus or viruses.

The common risk factors are;

• Scratching or wrong ways to clean the ear.
• It can be due to middle ear infections which person already have and have discharge.
• Sometimes it can be an allergic reaction to the chemicals used for dye or something else.

There can be some allergic reaction or skin diseases like Psoriasis or Eczema.

The common symptoms are;

• Itching and irritation which can be intense later on.
• There can be redness in the skin, discomfort and later on pain in the external canal.
• There can be some discharge which later can be converted into Puss.
• There can be partial blockage or fullness of the ear canal.

Usually, it needs medical treatment, cleaning and ear drops. Also, you need to consult an ENT specialist. And meanwhile, you should avoid exposure to the water. You should not allow water to enter the ear during the medical treatment.