Summer swimming season may be over, but you can still get swimmer's ear – and you don't even need to go in the water

Rex Haberman, Associate Clinical Professor of Otology and Neurotology, University of Florida and Thomas Schrepfer, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Otolaryngology, University of Florida, The Conversation on Sep 30, 2022

Published in Health & Fitness

Eardrops are commonly used to treat swimmer’s ear. These drops often contain antibiotics to kill the infection and steroids to stop the swelling.

One such eardrop is Ciprodex. It contains ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic, and dexamethasone, a powerful steroid. Patients will need to place about four to five drops in the infected ear canal twice a day for seven to 10 days.

Another commonly prescribed drop is Floxin, which contains an antibiotic but not a steroid. It is commonly prescribed in less swollen but still infected ears.

Other drop preparations include Cortisporin, which contains a commonly used combination of neomycin and polymyxin B, as well as hydrocortisone. However, neomycin is also damaging to the inner ear, so doctors nowadays often turn to Ciprodex or Floxin.

In some cases, the ear canal is too swollen for drops to reach the infected area, so the physician may place a wick or stent in the ear canal to keep it open. This will usually be left in place for three to five days until removed by the doctor, although occasionally the wick falls out once the swelling subsides. Usually, after 10 days the infection is resolved and the ear canal skin returns to normal.

Sometimes swimmer’s ear may not resolve after seven to 10 days of treatment with eardrops. Oral antibiotics are typically recommended if the infection has spread beyond the ear canal or in patients with poorly controlled diabetes. Hospitalization for swimmer’s ear is rarely necessary; however, complications that can occasionally lead to hospitalization include fever, worsening discharge, extensive narrowing of the ear canal or failure of previous treatments.

Among the precautions you can take to prevent swimmer’s ear: Keep the ear canal dry. Tip your head to one side to help the water drain. Use a soft towel or cloth, or gently use a hair dryer near it. If the self-cleansing mechanism of the ear canal is impaired, then the ear canal should be cleansed by a physician.

Since most bacteria prefer a pH-neutral environment, reducing the pH in the ear canal can prevent bacterial overgrowth. A homemade liquid tincture can be mixed from a solution of half rubbing alcohol and half distilled white vinegar. The alcohol combines with the water in the ear and then evaporates. This removes the water while the acidity of the vinegar keeps bacteria from growing.

Two to three drops are usually sufficient and can be applied as a preventive measure soon after the ear has been exposed to moisture. This liquid solution is not a replacement for medical treatment of an actual ear infection and is meant to be used only in people who are prone to such infections because of prolonged or frequent exposure to moisture.

Also, it is important to differentiate swimmer’s ear from a middle ear infection, the most frequent reason for the use of antibiotics in children under age 5. Middle ear infections are usually associated with a viral upper respiratory infection, and they are more often seen during fall and winter, when influenza and cold viruses are more prevalent.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Thomas Schrepfer, University of Florida and Rex Haberman, University of Florida. Like this article? subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.