Home remedies are best used toprevent swimmer’s earor to treat it only if you are unable to see a physician right away. If this is your situation, the following information and home remedies should be helpful.
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Causes
Treatment for swimmer’s ear is intended to target these infectious culprits. When you see a healthcare provider you will usually be given a course of antibiotic ear drops. Home remedies for swimmer’s ear are thought to either kill the infection or inhibit its growth.
Symptoms
Symptoms of swimmer’s ear include an itchy, red, or swollen ear canal,ear painthat gets worse when you touch or wiggle your ear, and sometimes drainage of fluid from the ear.
You should never try to use home remedies if:
Possible Home Remedies
Some websites and healthcare providers recommend using hydrogen peroxide drops in the ear as a home remedy for swimmer’s ear. It should be noted, however, that hydrogen peroxide has fallen out of favor with many healthcare professionals because studies have shown that it kills not only a wide spectrum of germs but healthy cells as well.
Ear Wax Blockage Complicates Swimmer’s Ear Treatment
Sometimesear wax, or swollen tissue, can be blocking the ear canal. This makes any home remedy virtually impossible. At any rate, an infection this severe would not likely respond to home remedies anyway. When you see a healthcare provider, they can look in your ears using an otoscope and determine whether or not the ear canal is open and ear drops can be given.
When to See Your Healthcare Provider
If circumstances do not permit you to see a healthcare provider you can try the measures listed above at home, but if symptoms get worse or do not improve in 48 to 72 hours, it is very important that you see a healthcare professional to prevent complications of swimmer’s ear.
5 Tips to Prevent Swimmer’s Ear
If you have had swimmer’s ear in the past, you are more likely to develop it again and should be diligent in practicing good ear hygiene when you swim. The following things can be done at home to prevent swimmer’s ear and to treat an extremely mild infection.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.John Hopkins Medicine.Swimmer’s ear.Texas A & M University Health Science Center.Keeping swimmer’s ears at bay.Harvard Health Publishing.Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa).National Health Services.Mastoiditis.Schaefer P, Baugh RF.Acute otitis externa: an update.Am Fam Physician. 86(11):1055–1061.Cleveland Clinic.Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa): prevention.Additional ReadingSwimmer’s Ear. American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.Swimmer’s Ear.Medline Plus.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.John Hopkins Medicine.Swimmer’s ear.Texas A & M University Health Science Center.Keeping swimmer’s ears at bay.Harvard Health Publishing.Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa).National Health Services.Mastoiditis.Schaefer P, Baugh RF.Acute otitis externa: an update.Am Fam Physician. 86(11):1055–1061.Cleveland Clinic.Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa): prevention.Additional ReadingSwimmer’s Ear. American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.Swimmer’s Ear.Medline Plus.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
John Hopkins Medicine.Swimmer’s ear.Texas A & M University Health Science Center.Keeping swimmer’s ears at bay.Harvard Health Publishing.Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa).National Health Services.Mastoiditis.Schaefer P, Baugh RF.Acute otitis externa: an update.Am Fam Physician. 86(11):1055–1061.Cleveland Clinic.Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa): prevention.
John Hopkins Medicine.Swimmer’s ear.
Texas A & M University Health Science Center.Keeping swimmer’s ears at bay.
Harvard Health Publishing.Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa).
National Health Services.Mastoiditis.
Schaefer P, Baugh RF.Acute otitis externa: an update.Am Fam Physician. 86(11):1055–1061.
Cleveland Clinic.Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa): prevention.
Swimmer’s Ear. American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.Swimmer’s Ear.Medline Plus.
Swimmer’s Ear. American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Swimmer’s Ear.Medline Plus.
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