Long swims, swimming pool and games in the water with the children: these are the days for summer visitors looking for refreshment. However, you must be careful to protect your ears.
- Summer is conducive to swimmer’s ear.
- It is due to the water that stagnates in the external auditory canal and where bacteria proliferate.
- A few preventive rules can make it possible to escape it.
Swimmer’s ear, also called acute otitis externa, is caused by bacteria that grow in the external auditory canal located between the auricle and the eardrum. The water that stagnates there leads to the development of bacteria, leading to this infection.
Swimmer’s ear is more common in summer and in children. The symptoms are pain in the ear, partial deafness or even the discharge of a white or yellow liquid. Professor Darrouzet, head of the ENT department at the Bordeaux University Hospital, explains for Le Figaro that “It’s a horrible pain in the ear that hurts more and more, it resonates in the ear and we hear ourselves speak. We hear less well because the liquid prevents the sound from passing!”
There is a solution to check if you have swimmer’s ear: pull the pinna of your ear upwards as in the photo below, if the pain becomes more acute, it is very likely that the otitis be installed.
How to treat this otitis?
However, do not worry if the person consults at the onset of symptoms, this otitis is easily treated. The doctor or ENT specialist will clean the ear and prescribe antibiotic drops for several days as well as an analgesic to limit the pain. But for the duration of the treatment, generally a short week, swimming is totally prohibited.
And how to prevent it?
To avoid not being able to swim for several days, it is possible to adopt a few rules to prevent this type of ear infection. First of all, pay attention to the water in which you bathe, some pools are breeding grounds for bacteria. In addition, it is important to dry your ears properly after swimming. You can also avoid putting your head under water or wear earplugs.
And to put the odds on your side, the site Current wifeoffers a preventive homemade recipe: a solution half water half apple vinegar, to put in your ears daily for a week before leaving on vacation, this provides additional protection against bacteria and allows you to enjoy quietly from your swims.
