Swimmer's ear or swimmers ear is an infection or inflammation of the external ear and the ear canal. It is usually caused due to the excess exposure of the ears to water. After the ear gets drenched, moisture gets in the water resistant layer of the skin and it starts to become soft and wrinkled. Subsequently, bacteria and fungi start to form on the surface of the exposed skin.
Symptoms of Swimmers Ear
Before we tell you the remedies of swimmers ear, let us see what the symptoms of the same are. The various symptoms of swimmers ear are as follows:
- Itchy or painful ear
- Sensitivity to ear movement
- Decreased hearing
- Earwax appearing soft and white
- Yellowish or milky discharge from ears
- Sudden pain in the ear
- Noises felt inside the ear, such as buzzing or humming
- Swelling of the ear
- Feeling stuffy
- Outer ear skin appears to be sore
Home Remedies For Swimmers Ear
Below we provide the natural home solutions for swimmers ear:
- If the infection is mild, it can be treated with a few drops of white vinegar placed on the ear. Put just a few drops of vinegar in the ear and leave it in the ear canal for about 5 minutes or so before turning the ear down. This will drain the drops.
- You can also use 3-4 drops of apple cider vinegar, mixed in water or alcohol. This solution can be used after shower or swimming. This will help in the prevention of future infections.
- If you have baby oil available, take some drops and heat it. As it is heating, pour some in the ear with the help of a dropper and place a cotton ball to avoid the oil from dripping.
- You can also use the hair dryer to evaporate the water that might be stuck in the ear. What you can do is, set the dryer to warm and blow it towards your ear so that your ears are blown clean.
- Another procedure is to mix water, peroxide and white vinegar in equal quantities. Use an eye dropper to put a few drops of the mixture inside your ear and let it stay there for about a minute or so. Later, you can drain it completely.