Swimmer’s Ear (otitis externa) is an infection of the ear canal that leads to the ear drum.  Generally, a layer of thin ear wax protects this canal, but a lot of swimming can wash away that wax protection which can lead to an infection.  Hence the name “Swimmer’s Ear.”

Symptoms

Swimmer’s Ear sometimes starts with an itching sensation or ear pain.  Even simply touching or bumping the outside of the ear can hurt.  The infection may make it harder for your child to hear because of the swelling in the ear canal, which restricts the access of sound waves to the ear drum.

What to do

If you think your child has Swimmer’s Ear, you need to contact your doctor, who will most likely prescribe some antibiotic ear drops to kill the bacteria that are causing the infection and inflammation. Your doctor may also recommend a children’s pain medication (ibuprofen or acetaminophen) to help relieve the pain until the antibiotic drops begin working.   Treatment typically lasts seven days.

While it is difficult to keep kids out of the pool, especially during the warm summer months, make sure your child doesn’t return to swimming before the full waiting time suggested.  Swimmer’s Ear can come back if not allowed to fully heal, and then your child will be right back where she or he started.

To prevent further infection, your doctor may prescribe ear drops to use right after swimming that help dry the ear canal.  Additionally, drying the ear canals well using the lowest heat setting on your hair-dryer held a few inches from the ear may also help prevent Swimmer’s Ear. Talk to your doctor about these options if you’ve got a child who just loves to get wet, but seems predisposed to swimmer’s ear.

THIS ARTICLE IS NOT INTENDED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. PLEASE BE SURE TO SEEK THE ADVICE OF A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL BEFORE ADMINISTERING ANY MEDICAL CARE.