How to Prevent Swimmer’s Ear

Swimmer’s ear is a minor infection and is easy to treat if treatment is sought early on. There are many different types of treatments which can effectively fight this type of infection and they range from simple home remedies to high powered antibiotics that have to be prescribed by a physician. Someone once said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This holds true for swimmer’s ear as well. It is possible to avoid the infection altogether if certain precautions are taken. There will be some instances where swimmer’s ear is not avoidable, but in most cases, observing these prevention tips can help prevent the infection from occurring in the first place.

Don’t Stick Things Into Your Ears

Most physicians will advise you to refrain from sticking any item in your ear. This includes items commonly used to clean the ears like cotton swabs. It is also advisable to keep your finger out of your ear as well as any other foreign object. Even earplugs – designed for use in the ears, should not be placed in the ear. This is because sticking any item at all in the ear can damage the

skin which lines the ear canal. When this skin gets damaged or scratched it tends to allow water to collect in the area. This creates the perfect environment for bacteria to grow and infection to occur. Protect the skin in the ear canal by keeping any objects out of the ear canal.

Keep your Ears Dry

Whether you are taking part in swimming or any other type of water sport or just taking a shower, it is important to take precautions that help keep your ears dry. Wearing a shower cap will keep the ears dry when taking a shower. A swim cap can help keep water out of the ears when swimming or participating in water sports. If they do get water in them, use a hair dryer to dry them out. Set it on the lowest possible heat setting and then hold it several inches from the side of the face. This helps keep the ears dry.

Keep your ears Clean

You should never swim in dirty water and any time you swim in a stream or a lake be sure to clean your ears out as soon as you get out of the water. There are several solutions that can be used to rinse the ears out and help prevent swimmer’s ear. Saline solution

works well; or you may choose to use a mixture of equal parts of vinegar and alcohol. There are also some swimmers ear drops that can be purchased at any pharmacy. When putting drops in the ear canal, drop two or three drops into the ear and then tilt your head so that the solution gets down into the ear. Then turn your head the other way so it drains out properly.

Keeping your ears clean does not include removing earwax. When you remove the earwax out of your ear, you remove some of its protection. Earwax is designed to gather up any dirt or debris that enters the ear canal. It is useful for carrying debris out of the ear so it does not cause infection. When you clean out the earwax you do two things. One is removing nature’s protection and the second is taking a chance at damaging the ear canal. It’s best to leave earwax in the ear. If you feel it needs to be removed go see a physician or specialist who has the right tool for removing earwax safely.

Preventing Swimmer’s Ear Early

As long as you do not have an eardrum that is punctured, you can mix equal parts of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol together to create a solution. This solution can be used before and after going swimming. Pour one teaspoon of the solution into each ear and then let it drain out. The alcohol will promote drying in the ear and the vinegar has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties to help prevent the growth of fungi and bacteria. This can be a good way to prevent an infection from ever occurring in the first place. There are also some similar solutions available through your local pharmacies that can provide this same protection.