How to Prevent Swimmer's Ear This Summer in Florida
Summer in Florida means sun, sand, and swimming. While enjoying the refreshing waters, it's important to protect your ears from swimmer's ear, a common infection caused by water trapped in the ear canal.
What Is Swimmer’s Ear?
Swimmer's ear, or otitis externa, is an infection of the outer ear canal, which runs from your eardrum to the outside of your head. It's often caused by water that remains in your ear after swimming, creating a moist environment that aids bacterial growth. Symptoms include itching, redness, discomfort, yellow discharge or hearing loss.
Tips to Prevent Swimmer's Ear
Here are some practical tips to help you prevent swimmer's ear and keep your ears healthy all summer long.
Keep your ears dry
Use Earplugs: Wear waterproof earplugs while swimming to prevent water from entering your ears.
Dry Ears Thoroughly: After swimming, tilt your head to each side to help water drain out. Use a towel to dry the outer ear gently. Tug your ear lobes gently in different directions to help drain water from your ear.
Maintain Ear Health
Avoid Inserting Objects: Don't insert fingers, cotton swabs, or other objects into your ears. This can irritate the ear canal and increase the risk of infection.
Keep Ears Clean: Regularly clean your ears with a washcloth and avoid using earwax removal tools, which can damage the ear canal.
Use Eardrops
Preventative Eardrops: Use over-the-counter eardrops after swimming to help evaporate any trapped water. You can also make a homemade solution with equal parts white vinegar and rubbing alcohol to help dry out the ears and prevent bacterial growth.
Consult a Doctor: If you have any ear conditions or a history of ear problems, consult your doctor before using any eardrops.
Take Precautions in Water
Avoid Contaminated Water: Try to swim in well-maintained pools or natural bodies of water with good water quality. Avoid swimming in water that may be contaminated with high bacteria levels.
Limit Exposure: Don't spend too much time submerged in water, especially in the hot and humid climate of Florida, which can make it harder for your ears to dry out.
Recognize Early Symptoms
Stay Alert: If you experience itching, redness, discomfort, or a feeling of fullness in your ears after swimming, take action immediately. Using drying eardrops and keeping your ears dry can prevent the infection from worsening.
When to See a Doctor
The symptoms of otitis externa are typically mild at first. Early diagnosis and treatment are key to a speedy recovery and preventing complications. As such it is recommended to seek help immediately.
In the advanced stage of swimmer’s ear, a person may experience severe ear pain that can radiate to the face, neck (swollen lymph nodes), or side of the head. Other symptoms include complete blockage of the ear canal, swelling of the outer ear, and fever.
Treatment
It's important to see a doctor to confirm swimmer's ear and rule out other ear issues. They can also assess the severity of the infection and prescribe the right treatment. Most cases are treated with prescription eardrops. These often contain a combination of:
Antibiotics: To fight bacterial infections, the most common cause of swimmer's ear.
Steroids: To reduce inflammation and swelling in the ear canal.
Acidic solution: To restore the natural balance of acidity in your ear canal, which helps prevent further infection.
Antifungal medication: In some cases, fungal infections can cause swimmer's ear. If this is the culprit, your doctor will prescribe specific antifungal eardrops.
Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen can also help manage discomfort while the eardrops work their magic. With proper treatment, swimmer's ear usually clears up within a week or two.
Seek treatment for your Swimmer's Ear in Hollywood, FL
Our team of experienced healthcare professionals can determine if a deviated septum is the culprit behind your symptoms and create a personalized treatment plan to get you back to feeling your best. Don't wait any longer, contact ENT Family today!
Address: 3911 Hollywood Blvd#201, Hollywood, FL 33021, United States
Phone: 754-888-1368
Email: info@entfamily.com
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