Swimmer’s Ear Can Be Excruciating—Here Are the Symptoms to Look Out For

Dealing with a swimmer’s ear infection just once is enough to make you wary of the pool or your next hangout by the lake, even on those steamy days when you could really use a cool dip. The “excruciating” ear pain, muffled hearing, and intense itchiness it can trigger are no joke, according to Kelvin M. Kwong, MD, an assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Of course, all sorts of ear problems can be annoying, but swimmer’s ear tends to be especially rough.

As if that’s not enough of a drag, you’ll naturally have to avoid swimming and be careful while bathing until the infection clears up. And it’s not the kind of ailment that’ll simply go away if you ignore the symptoms and cross your fingers. In fact swimmer’s ear tends to get worse without proper treatment, and could even impact your hearing if you let it go for long enough, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It’s just not something worth messing with—especially when there’s a relatively simple fix for it (more on that in a minute).

If you suspect you’re dealing with a gnarly ear infection, you’re probably well aware of how terrible it feels. But what are the other possible signs of swimmer’s ear, and what’s the fastest way to get some relief? Here’s what you should know.

What are the common causes of swimmer’s ear?

First, some ear anatomy 101: Your ears have three distinct sections, including the outer, middle, and inner ear.¹ Your outer ear includes the part of your ear you can see, along with your ear canal, which is a tube that connects the outer ear to the middle ear.

Swimmer’s ear, which is medically known as otitis externa, is an outer ear infection—specifically one that hits the ear canal.² When water gets trapped inside this tube—a perfectly dark and moist environment—bacteria or fungi can easily multiply and make themselves at home, which can ultimately lead to an infection.

You don’t necessarily need to dunk your head into a pool to increase your risk, though swimming in freshwater, especially lakes, is riskier. It’s also possible to get an outer ear infection from spending lots of time in humid weather or even just showering if enough moisture gets stuck inside your ear canal, Yin Ren, MD, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of otolaryngology head and neck surgery at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells SELF.

Some people are more likely to develop swimmer’s ear than others, Elliott Kozin MD, surgeon at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and assistant professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Harvard Medical School, tells SELF. It’s more common in children and if you’ve had ear surgery in the past, you may be more prone to all types of ear infections, he says.

Other risk factors include having a skin condition like psoriasis or eczema in the ear; using dirty earbuds or hearing aids; certain chemicals in hair products like hair dyes or hairsprays; producing too little earwax; and injury to the ear canal from cotton swabs or other objects you may use to try to clean your ears.

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What do swimmer’s ear symptoms feel like?

There’s no sugarcoating it: Swimmer’s ear symptoms suck. One reason for that is there’s “hardly any soft tissue between the bone and skin” in your ear canal, Courtney Voelker, MD, PhD, board-certified neurotologist and director of the adult and pediatric cochlear implant program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, tells SELF. “The skin is literally laying on the bone.” This makes the area pretty sensitive. “When there is any swelling between the bone and skin, it pulls the skin away from the bone, and that can be extremely painful,” adds Dr. Voelker.