Treatment of Swimmer’s Ear
Swimmer’s ear is not a dangerous condition and with the proper treatment it will usually clear up in just a few days. If it is left untreated, however, it can be very painful. There are also some instances when it can be very difficult to treat and it can end up causing damage to cartilage or bones in the ear. These are rare and usually only occur in cases when an individual has an underlying serious illness like diabetes or an immune deficiency. In most cases, after proper treatment the condition of the ears will return to normal with no complications.
What happens if swimmer’s ear is left untreated?
There are some possibly serious conditions that may occur should a case of swimmer’s ear not get timely or proper treatment. There can be some slight hearing loss even though typically once the ears are treated the hearing will return to normal. Without getting timely treatments, an individual may suffer from frequent or recurring ear infections. And in extreme cases, the infection can spread into the inner ear and cause damage to cartilage and bones. When the health professional is examining you they will check the level of redness and swelling present inside the ear canal. If there is any type of fluid or discharge coming from the ear they may order a culture to test for the presence or type of bacteria found in the ear. They may do this if an individual has frequent ear infections or recurrent severe ear infections.
What types of swimmer’s ear treatments will be used?
When you visit a physician to receive treatment for swimmer’s ear, they might use a special type of equipment to suction out and clean the ear canal. In almost every case, they will prescribe some type of ear drops to be placed in the ear canal. Sometimes the canal is too swollen or there is too much drainage occurring for the drops to enter the ear canal properly. In these cases, the health care professional will insert a small wick into the ear. The wick will be a short piece of gauze or sponge that goes in past the area that is blocked. The drops are then applied directly to the wick which will absorb them and seep past the blockage into the canal. This usually brings some level of relief in as little as six to eight hours.
For more severe infections, the doctor may also prescribe antibiotics to be taken by mouth along with ear drops. Be very careful to ensure water doesn’t get in the infected ear while it is working through the healing process. If the infection doesn’t show signs of improvement in three or four days the doctor may prescribe a different medicine.
How are swimmers ear drops applied?
Most of the time it is much easier for someone else to apply ear drops. The person who has an infected ear can lie down with the ear needing drops facing upward. Drops can be placed into the ear until the ear canal is full. The person should continue to lie down for a few minutes longer to allow the drops to be absorbed.
Why do I need a follow-up appointment?
Keeping your follow-up appointment is very important. The health care professional will need to monitor the ear’s condition to determine if it is getting better or worse. Sometimes they also need to clean the ear another time or two and if they put in a wick, it may need to be replaced. The otolaryngologist or other health care professional has the equipment needed to clean the ear canal properly and efficiently when you have swimmer’s ear. When the ear is treated properly, it will usually clear up completely within 7 to 10 days.
What can be done to treat itchy ears?
Sometimes when a person has swimmer’s ear they find that their ears itch quite a lot. This can be due to a fungus or even an allergy. Sometimes it is caused by chronic inflammation of the ear canal. A health care professional can treat allergies to help alleviate the itchiness and sometimes they can prescribe eardrops, ointments or creams that help reduce or solve problem with itchy ears.
What happens if swimmer’s ear is left untreated?
There are some possibly serious conditions that may occur should a case of swimmer’s ear not get timely or proper treatment. There can be some slight hearing loss even though typically once the ears are treated the hearing will return to normal. Without getting timely treatments, an individual may suffer from frequent or recurring ear infections. And in extreme cases, the infection can spread into the inner ear and cause damage to cartilage and bones. When the health professional is examining you they will check the level of redness and swelling present inside the ear canal. If there is any type of fluid or discharge coming from the ear they may order a culture to test for the presence or type of bacteria found in the ear. They may do this if an individual has frequent ear infections or recurrent severe ear infections.
What types of swimmer’s ear treatments will be used?
When you visit a physician to receive treatment for swimmer’s ear, they might use a special type of equipment to suction out and clean the ear canal. In almost every case, they will prescribe some type of ear drops to be placed in the ear canal. Sometimes the canal is too swollen or there is too much drainage occurring for the drops to enter the ear canal properly. In these cases, the health care professional will insert a small wick into the ear. The wick will be a short piece of gauze or sponge that goes in past the area that is blocked. The drops are then applied directly to the wick which will absorb them and seep past the blockage into the canal. This usually brings some level of relief in as little as six to eight hours.
For more severe infections, the doctor may also prescribe antibiotics to be taken by mouth along with ear drops. Be very careful to ensure water doesn’t get in the infected ear while it is working through the healing process. If the infection doesn’t show signs of improvement in three or four days the doctor may prescribe a different medicine.
How are swimmers ear drops applied?
Most of the time it is much easier for someone else to apply ear drops. The person who has an infected ear can lie down with the ear needing drops facing upward. Drops can be placed into the ear until the ear canal is full. The person should continue to lie down for a few minutes longer to allow the drops to be absorbed.
Why do I need a follow-up appointment?
Keeping your follow-up appointment is very important. The health care professional will need to monitor the ear’s condition to determine if it is getting better or worse. Sometimes they also need to clean the ear another time or two and if they put in a wick, it may need to be replaced. The otolaryngologist or other health care professional has the equipment needed to clean the ear canal properly and efficiently when you have swimmer’s ear. When the ear is treated properly, it will usually clear up completely within 7 to 10 days.
What can be done to treat itchy ears?
Sometimes when a person has swimmer’s ear they find that their ears itch quite a lot. This can be due to a fungus or even an allergy. Sometimes it is caused by chronic inflammation of the ear canal. A health care professional can treat allergies to help alleviate the itchiness and sometimes they can prescribe eardrops, ointments or creams that help reduce or solve problem with itchy ears.