Extended swimming, lazing by the pool and playing in the water with the little ones: this is the daily life of holidaymakers in search of refreshment! Be careful, however, to protect your ears.
Swimmer’s ear, also called acute otitis externa, is caused by bacteria that proliferate in the external auditory canal located between the pinna and the eardrum. It is the water blocked there that causes the proliferation of bacteria, causing this infection.
Swimmer’s ear is more common in the summer and in children. The affected person then has an earache, they may be partially deaf and white or yellow fluid may leak from their ear. Professor Darrouzet, head of the ENT department at Bordeaux University Hospital, interviewed for Le Figaro explains that “it’s a horrible pain in the ear which 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!”
The safest way to check if you have swimmer’s ear? Pull the pinna upwards as below, if the pain is more acute then it is a good bet that the ear infection is installed.
How to treat her?
That said: no need to worry, if the bather consults from the onset of symptoms, this ear infection is easy to treat. The attending physician or ENT doctor will first perform a complete cleaning of the hearing instrument, then in most cases he will prescribe antibiotic drops to be put in the ears for several days and an analgesic to limit the pain. During this time unfortunately (usually a short week) swimming is completely prohibited.
Some preventive rules to escape it!
Not very fun to spend your holidays in the sun without being able to bathe … Fortunately, some preventions can spare swimmers this cumbersome ear infection. First of all, pay attention to the water in which you bathe. You have to be careful where you bathe, some pools are nests for bacteria! It is also important to dry your ears well when coming out of the water. Among the other possible techniques to avoid this very painful ear infection: avoid putting your head under water or wearing earplugs.
And if you want to be sure that you put the odds in your favor, the site Current wife, even offers a preventive homemade recipe : a solution of half water, half apple vinegar, to put in his ears every day a week before leaving on vacation, to provide additional protection against bacteria. Enough to ensure long hours of quiet swimming!
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