Water trapped in your ears can have a painful aftermath

It's the dance of summer. The swimmer's jig. You see it wherever humans brave the water – people shaking and jiggling their heads to one side to expel any water that's entered their ear canals. Sometimes they pull their ear lobes at the same time.
They might look silly but there's method in their madness, says ear nose and throat specialist Dr Michael Jay.
Water trapped in your ears can have a painful aftermath – a skin infection known as an outer ear infection. Because it's common in swimmers, it's also known as "swimmer's ear".
While these infections can occur year round, they peak in the warmer months when more of us take to the water, says Jay who works at Royal Adelaide Hospital and in private practice.

But trapped water isn't the only cause of swimmer's ear. Other causes include infected hair follicles, eczema and chemical irritation from products like hair dyes.
Sometimes a build-up of dead skin cells and dirt is to blame.
"The ear has a nice self cleansing mechanism which in most people works very efficiently. But in some, it may not," says Jay.
It's a source of frustration to him that many cases arise from mismanagement of a substance that's vital to ear health: earwax.
"People think earwax is revolting and they want to get rid of it. But it actually protects the ear canal. It's water resistant so it's a barrier to penetration of water. It's sticky so it traps dust and dirt and pollen. And it's also acidic, so it inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi."
Remove your wax and you're not only removing a protective substance. You're also likely to cause trauma to the delicate skin lining the ear canal, leaving little scratches or sores that are a perfect place for microbes like bacteria or fungi to get in and multiply.

Narrow canals for instance make it more difficult for trapped water to come out. And people who spend a lot of time in cooler water, such as keen surfers, can develop abnormal bone growth deep within their ear canals where water can be trapped. (This is known as known as exostosis or 'surfer's ear'.)
If you're planning to spend a lot of time in the water, it's important to know the symptoms of swimmer's ear so you can seek early treatment from a doctor. These may include
• Itching or irritation inside the ear
• Pain
• A sensation your ear is blocked
• Decreased hearing
• Redness and swelling of the skin around the ear
• A discharge of pus
If not adequately treated, the infection can escape from the ear canal and infect the face or even the bones and cartilage of the skull. Occasionally fungal infections can also cause a hole in the eardrum – although this usually heals by itself.
For prevention, you could try ear plugs for swimmers but they may not block water entry if you stay in the water for a long time.
Over-the-counter alcohol-based preparations can be useful to dry the soggy skin of your ear canals after a swim. But Jay suggest you use them only if you've had a recurring problem – and then, sparingly – as too much can cause irritation (which can predispose to infection).