Ear Canal Infections
What is it?
Otitis externa is the medical name for an inflammation of the ear canal, most often caused by an invasion of bacteria and/or fungi. A common term also used is Swimmer’s Ear. Ear infections are one of the most common ear conditions. They can be extremely troublesome and/or recurrent if basic wound care is not followed.
How to treat the infection
Ear drops are required to kill an ear infection. There are 3 different groups of bacteria/fungi. There is not one drop that will kill them all.
What TOLBECS will do to help
- Clean and assess the ear canal – check that the ear drum is intact (no perforation)
- Report our findings to your GP
- We may recommend a particular ear drop
- We may take a swab for you to drop off to your GP
- Teach you about your ear condition
What you can do to help yourself
- See our other pages Ear Care & How to Put Ear Drops In
- Make an appointment with your GP for treatment to be prescribed
- Use drops as prescribed and finish the whole course, even if your ear is feeling better
- Keep your ear dry – no shower water, soap, or shampoo should enter the ear
- Do not scratch or poke inside your ear canal
- If your ear is not getting better, gets worse, or just does not feel right, come back for a reassessment
Factors that may lead to infection
- Ears that constantly stay wet – shower/bath, shampoo, swimming, surfing, diving, sweating
- A build-up of wax
- Damage to the ear canal skin – Poking or scratching with any object
- Skin conditions – flaking skin, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis
Signs of infection
- Irritation
- Itchiness
- Feels or sounds squelchy
- Crusting at the entrance
- Pain
- Redness and swelling
- Discharge
- Unpleasant smell coming from the ear
- Reduced hearing
Ear trouble? Book an appointment now!