All our clinics remain open, read the latest update on COVID-19 safety procedures.
Outer ear infections
There are two main types of outer ear complaints: acute infections and chronic conditions. The former tend to come on suddenly and last no longer than seven days, once treatment has been applied. The latter, however, can last much longer. These can also be recurring so your discomfort might last a while.
Symptoms of outer ear infections
Here are some of the main symptoms you might have if you’re suffering from an outer ear infection:
- Itching in your ear
- High temperature
- Discharge from your ear
- A red or swollen ear canal
- Ear fullness
- Dry skin or eczema in or around your ear canal
- Pain/earache which may get worse when you push or pull your ear
- Temporarily dulled hearing or loss of hearing in one ear – if the swelling is enough to block your ear canal it can cause hearing problems
You should speak GP if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms.
Outer infections and wax
Trying to remove ear wax on your own can cause an outer ear infection. Accidentally pushing ear wax back into the ear will cause ear and hearing problems.
Wax is basically a self-cleaning service for our ears. It protects the ear canal from bacteria and debris that can cause infections. It might not look nice, but it does serve a purpose.
But if you’re having problems with too much wax building up, it’s better to seek professional advice.
Complications
Your outer ear infection can spread, if left untreated. It can spread across the skin and even form an abscess.
One uncommon risk is that the infection can become more severe, known as malignant otitis. This happens when the infection spreads to the bones located around the ear in the skull area. While this can be life-threatening if untreated, it is rare. Those with diabetes and immune system disorders are more prone to outer ear infections becoming malignant otitis.
Untreated ear infections can result in hearing loss in one ear, since the ear canal can become narrower or even completely blocked.
Book your free hearing healthcare check-up
Fill in your details below and a member of our team will contact you to arrange an appointment.
Outer ear infection FAQs
-
A doctor will look inside your ear as well as asking about your symptoms and health history. They might ask you to move your jaw to see whether you’re in pain when you do. And they’ll examine parts of your face and skull close to your ear/ear pain for any noticeable problems.
Some infections don’t clear up, or they reoccur, so the doctor might take a swab of any discharge coming from your ear. This will then be analysed to see whether it’s a fungal or bacterial infection.
A persistent infection that doesn’t respond to treatment might mean that your doctor refers you to a specialist ear, nose and throat (ENT) consultant.
-
Over-the-counter painkillers can be used to relieve pain. If it’s a bacterial infection, over-the-counter drops or spray might be enough to deal with it. In severe cases, you might need antibiotics.
-
There’s not one single cause of an outer ear infection. Maybe you’ve had a heavy knock that’s damaged the outer ear.
Or it could be innocuous; something might have just irritated your ear canal. Even cleaning your ears with cotton buds can cause an outer ear infection. You can accidentally scratch the skin, and this becomes infected. It can even be a scratch from your own fingernail!
Most infections of the outer ear are thought to be down to yeast or bacteria. Regular wearers of ear plugs or hearing aids are at higher risk. So are swimmers, especially those who swim in unchlorinated water.
People with sensitive skin might find that their choice of soap or shampoo can irritate the ear canal.
Humid and hot environments also put you at higher risk.
-
Otitis externa is fairly common, about 1 in 10 of us will suffer from it at some point. Women are slightly more susceptible to outer ear infections that men, but this might be because women tend to go swimming more regularly. Sufferers of certain long-term conditions such as eczema, asthma and allergic rhinitis have a higher chance of developing outer ear infections.
Other types of ear infections
Fungal ear infections
Fungal ear infections (otomycosis) affect the outer area of the ear.
Middle ear infections
Middle ear infections (otitis media), are the most common, especially in younger children.