Hearing Aids & Ear Infections

People who wear hearing aids may experience infections in the auditory canal because of moist conditions. The medical diagnosis is otitis externa. Other common terms are swimmer's ear, jungle ear or ear fungus.

Causes

• Otitis externa results when bacteria multiply excessively. Fungus, eczema or water-damaged skin can also cause infections. Sometimes scratching your ear or using a cotton swab introduces pathogens into your auditory canal.

Symptoms

• Otitis externa comes quickly with a stuffy, itching feeling and significant head pain from the swollen ear. Even though symptoms do not last long, the auditory canal may remain inflamed for weeks or months. To prevent permanent hearing loss, see your doctor.

Pain Relief

• Adults may use aspirin or acetaminophen to reduce pain and swelling. Don't give aspirin to children because of the risk of Reyes Syndrome.

Things to Avoid

• Never dunk your head in bath water as it contains large concentrations of bacteria, and don't use hard earplugs because of the risk of scratching the skin in your auditory canal.

Home Remedies

• Put one or two drops of baby oil in your ears before swimming or before bed to moisturize the auditory canal. After swimming and showering, use a cool or warm hair dryer for a minute or two to dry your ears. Use an eyedropper bottle from your pharmacy filled with a mixture of equal parts white distilled vinegar and rubbing alcohol to cleanse ears and create an acidic environment that inhibits fungus growth. If skin is irritated, replace the alcohol with water to reduce the sting. For dry, itchy skin or eczema, apply a thin layer of 1 percent hydrocortisone cream to your ear with a clean finger for two weeks. If the dryness does not improve, see your doctor.