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!