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Many people have experienced it at some point. Swimmer’s ear is an infection that inflames the outer ear canal and is usually caused by wetness in the ear after swimming, showering or anything that involves water entering the ear canal. The ear is a dark, moist environment, perfect breeding grounds for bacteria and other bugs, especially when dirty pool water has entered and lingers.
There are many ways to prevent swimmer’s ear, yet 1 in every 123 people is affected with swimmer’s ear every year. The issue here is that most people will not take the precautionary steps necessary to prevent swimmer’s ear. This condition can be easily prevented in a number of ways:
- Dry your ears after swimming. The main cause of swimmer’s ear is bacteria growing in the wet ear canal. When you go swimming, you are allowing potentially dirty water into your ear. While this is normal for the immune system to take care of, you can help your body to fight the infection by draining and drying your ears.
- Don’t use Q-tips inside your ears, especially before swimming. While it may feel good to cram a Q-tip in your ear, doing so is very dangerous and could lead to a host of unsavory side effects, the first being packed earwax. Packed earwax can severely damage your eardrum and could last a very long time. It requires many uncomfortable treatments to remedy. The second effect Q-tip cans have on your ears is wearing down the laminar membrane inside that shield your ear from bacteria. Wearing down the skin in your ear not only hurts, but also grants bacteria direct access to your bloodstream.
- Use earplugs. This is the safest way to go swimming. While many swimmers have an aversion to wax earplugs, they are the absolute safest way to go swimming with the lowest risk of infection. Though wax earplugs are effective, they are still not perfect. Earplugs may slip, leak, or even come off if not applied correctly. Even when applied correctly, they have a higher chance of coming off when diving from a diving block or diving board.
All of these methods of prevention should be applied when possible, but swimming is still a safe and fun sport for everybody. Just because you have forgotten your wax plugs once shouldn’t keep you from swimming in the first place. It is repetitive misuse and careless swimming practices that can get you mixed up with swimmers ear. This summer, don’t let the fear of swimmer’s ear hinder your fun. If you think you may have a case of swimmer’s ear, you should contact Central Part ENT, with offices in Arlington, Dallas, and Fort Worth it is easy to pay us a visit after scheduling an appointment. Visit our information page to learn more about how Central Park ENT can help you.[/text_output][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][image type=”none” float=”none” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” src=”476″][/vc_column][/vc_row]