Cotton Swabs Increase Risk Of Infection
Earwax acts as a natural lubricant. If you clean your ears out frequently, you may experience an itchy, dry feeling in your ears. Plus, the lack of earwax increases your risk of infection since its purpose is to stop foreign invaders from entering your body through the ear canal.
If you are experiencing ear pain or hearing issues from impacted or excessive earwax, its best to consult an ear specialist instead of treating it yourself. The team of physicians at ENT Associates of Savannah can accurately diagnose your condition and develop a safe treatment plan for you.
Signs Of Otitis Externa
Otitis externa is an inflammation of the external section of the ear canal, which does not reach the eardrum. Most cases are caused by bacteria.
Signs and symptoms can include:
- Itchiness of the ear
If you are concerned that you may have an outer ear infection, try using the Ada app to find out what the problem may be.
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A Man Cleaned His Ears With A Cotton Swab Then He Got An Infection In His Skull
ByCari Nierenberg12 March 2019
A man in England has sworn off cleaning his ears with cotton swabs after developing a potentially life-threatening infection that not only affected his hearing, but also spread to the lining of his brain and caused neurological symptoms, according to a new report of his case.
The 31-year-old man’s troubles began when the tip of a cotton swab got stuck inside his ear canal, although he told doctors that he wasn’t sure exactly how or when this happened.
A bit of cotton left in the ear may sound harmless, but in this case, it wreaked havoc.
The man developed a severe bacterial infection that started in his ear canal, progressed into the bone at the base of his skull and then moved upward, into the lining of his brain, the meninges, said lead author Dr. Alexander Charlton, a member of the team of ear, nose and throat specialists involved in the patient’s treatment at University Hospital Coventry in England.
Even though the infection didn’t enter the man’s brain it didn’t progress beyond the lining it was clearly causing neurological symptoms. The man was rushed to the emergency room after experiencing a seizure and collapsing, according to the case report.
Charlton told Live Science that he suspects that either toxins from the bacterial infection or pressure on the brain from the infection triggered the seizure.
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Signs That You Have An Ear Infection
Ear infections are one of the most uncomfortable common illnesses. They frequently appear in children, but they can occur in adults, too, especially if you wear hearing aids. Here are fifteen signs that you have an ear infection.
1. Pain in the ear
One of the first things most people notice is a pain in the ear. Earache can be dull and throbbing or sharp and stabbing. Some people experience ear infection pain as a burning sensation. Ear infection pain doesnt usually last longer than three days.
2. Headaches
Some ear infections can cause headaches. Blockages in the ear, such as from infection, could account for your headache. If an object or impacted wax is blocking your ear, though, this could be the problem instead.
3. Nausea and vomiting
Ear infections are often accompanied by nausea , loss of appetite, and vomiting. If you are vomiting, try to stay hydrated by taking small sips of water. Call your doctor if the vomiting doesnt stop.
4. Dizziness
The ears are the bodys center of balance. Some types of ear infections affect your balance and cause dizziness and vertigo. It may feel like things are moving or spinning. Be extra careful when youre standing, walking, or driving.
5. Itchiness
Itching is one of the many signs of an ear infection. It can be in the ear canal itself, or on the lobe or outer ear. Its always best to refrain from scratching where possible, as you dont want to spread the infection or irritate your ear more.
6. Scaly skin in the ear
The Dangers Of Cotton Swabs For Your Ears
An audiologist can determine if you have impacted ear wax in your ears from using cotton swabs!
Often times, people view ear wax as something that is gross and unsanitary. Because of this, when people notice ear wax is in their ears, they may try to clean it out with a cotton swab. While this may seem like a good idea, cotton swabs can actually push wax further inside of your ear and cause damage to the canal. Here are the dangers of using cotton swabs for your ears.
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Joy Victory Managing Editor Healthy Hearing
Joy Victory has extensive experience editing consumer health information. Her training in particular has focused on how to best communicate evidence-based medical guidelines and clinical trial results to the public. She strives to make health content accurate, accessible and engaging to the public.Read more about Joy.
So How Bad Is It Really To Use A Cotton Swab In Your Ears
As long as you don’t insert it inside your ear canal, it’s fine. But if you dig any deeper than the outer rim, you run the risk of doing way more harm than good.
“I have friends who tell me they use a cotton swab all the time,” Dr. Kari says. “I just shake my head and tell them it’s not a great idea.”
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Why Using Cotton Swabs To Clean Ears Can Result In Ear Injuries
Scrubbing behind the ears is likely part of your childs bathtime ritual, but cleaning inside the ears should not be.
For safety reasons, we recommend that neither parents nor children attempt to clean the ears by placing anything inside the ear canal, including cotton swabs, bobby pins, fingers or toothpicks, says pediatric emergency medical specialist Jerri Rose, MD. The old saying, Anything smaller than your elbow should not go in the ear, really holds true.
Unless the ear wax is blocking the ear canal and becomes bothersome, it should be left alone because its essential for optimal ear health.
Ear wax lubricates the ear canal, keeps debris from reaching the inner ears and helps fend off infection. When well-meaning parents attempt to remove their childrens ear wax with a cotton swab, they are most likely packing the wax further into the ear canal, which can cause complications.
Dont Forget The Sunscreen
No one likes a sunburn, but many forget to put sun lotion on their ears when they are out in the sun for a lengthy period. Unfortunately, skin cancer can develop in any area exposed to the sun. That means places you might not think about like your face, neck, lips and you guessed it your ears. So, the next time youre planning fun in the sun, dont forget to protect your ears, too.
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How Wax Protects Your Ears
Turns out, wax is your ears’ BFF. According to the AAO-HNS, cerumen is composed of natural ear canal secretions mixed with hair and dead skin.
“It starts out as an oily, amber-yellow liquid,” says neurotologist Elina Kari, MD, assistant professor of surgery at UC San Diego Health. “As it accumulates and ages inside the ear canal, it can turn brown or black.”
It might look nasty, but this sticky substance plays an important role in maintaining aural wellbeing.
“Cerumen is relatively acidic in order to maintain your ear’s microbiome, an ecosystem of healthy bacteria,” Dr. Kari says. “It ensures a proper balance of microorganisms and prevents overgrowth of bacteria or fungus, which can lead to painful ear canal infections that require medical attention.”
In fact, an August 2019 study in the Annals of Indian Academy of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery found that human earwax has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
It’s also an essential emollient. “Cerumen keeps the ear canal moist,” Dr. Kari says. “If you remove the wax from your ears, they can become dry and itchy.”
All together now: Three cheers for earwax!
Why Are Ears So Sensitive
The environment in your inner ear is unique and faces some special challenges,
Because of the warmth and moisture, the ear canal is at a higher risk of infection by bacteria, Dr. Daveluy said. To protect against this, the skin of the ear canal has specialized oil glands that secrete earwax. Much like the nose, the ear canal also grows small hairs to help prevent debris from entering the ear.
Another unique attribute of inner ear skin is that it doesnt contain eccrine sweat glands, the kind the rest of our body uses to secrete sweat when were warm or stressed. This, along with the waxy nature of cerumen, helps prevent moisture buildup in the canal.
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What Causes Swimmer’s Ear
Swimmer’s ear is common in kids who spend a lot of time in the water. Too much moisture in the ear can irritate and break down the skin in the canal, letting bacteria or fungi penetrate. It happens most often in summertime, when swimming is common.
But you don’t have to swim to get swimmer’s ear. Anything that causes a break in the skin of the ear canal can lead to an infection. Dry skin or eczema, scratching the ear canal, vigorous ear cleaning with cotton swabs, or putting foreign objects like bobby pins or paper clips into the ear can all increase the risk of otitis externa.
And if someone has a middle ear infection, pus collected in the middle ear can drain into the ear canal through a hole in the eardrum and cause it.
How Is A Perforated Eardrum Diagnosed
To check for a perforated eardrum, doctors check the ear canal with a lighted instrument called an otoscope. Often, a doctor can see the tear and sometimes the tiny bones of the middle ear. In some cases, fluid draining from the ear can make it hard to see the eardrum.
The doctor also might:
- order an audiology exam to measure how well the child hears at different pitches and volumes
- order a tympanometry to measure the response of the eardrum to slight changes in air pressure
- send a sample of fluid draining from the ear to a lab to check for infection
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Can Headphones Cause Ear Infections
A friend of mine recently got an ear infection, it wasnt the worst, but as we were both constantly using our headphones, it popped up in conversation if the cause could be her headphones. Earphones seem a likely culprit, but can headphones cause ear infections?
Yes, headphones can increase the temperature of the ear canal and, when worn for extended periods of time, can lock in humidity. This creates the ideal environment for both introducing bacteria to the ear canal as well as promoting their growth.
While this is theoretically true, a study on ear infection and hearing loss amongst headphone users found that prolonged use of headphones by call center attendants predisposes them to infection of the external ear canal. It did, however, make the symptoms worse in individuals who already had chronic middle ear infections.
The study, however, did have some flaws as the employees werent screened when they were first appointed, so there is no way of knowing if the employees with chronic ear infections perhaps got them while on duty.
The conclusion of that study was that more research was needed and that the best would be to incorporate increased hygiene measures such as regular cleaning of the headphone to prevent a build-up of bacteria or fungus that can cause external canal infections as well as discouraging the sharing of headphones.
How To Treat Itchy Ears
First, dont put anything in your ears. While its tempting to insert something into your ear canal to scratch the itch, thats exactly what you shouldnt do. Not only do you risk damaging the eardrum and scratching the delicate skin of the inner ear, you also increase your urge to itch.
Try not to scratch at all, Dr. Daveluy said. For any skin, scratching makes the nerves that feel itch grow. So the more you scratch, the more youll itch.
The more you scratch, the more youll itch.
Instead, try treating the underlying problem. If you have dandruff, try switching to a dandruff shampoo. If your itching flares up along with seasonal allergies, try taking an antihistamine. To alleviate dryness associated with over-cleaning the ears or earwax blockage, apply a few drops of baby oil or olive oil before you go to bed at night.
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Doctors Reveal The Dangers Of Cotton Swabs For Ear Cleaning
Most adults know you shouldnt put a little plastic stick into your ears. But if that plastic stick has a bit of cotton around it, most people dont think twice about using it to clean their ears. Cotton swabs are dangerous for your ears. Here are what doctors say are the real dangers of cotton swabs for ear cleaning.
The Answer Is Yes And No
As per the medical experts, the outer ear or pinna needs to be cleaned properly with a little soap, water or wet cloth. Most of the time while taking a shower or washing hair, water enters the ear canal. The wax in the ear canal gets accumulated and falls off when you are asleep. The normal movements of the jaws from talking, eating, or yawning also helps in pushing the earwax to the outer ear. Audiologists and hearing instrument specialists always recommend not to use cotton swabs or any other tool to clean your ears. Excessive accumulation of earwax, especially when it is impacted, can lead to a blocked ear.
When you face any problems with your ears it is always recommended to consult a doctor or get immediate answers from an ENT specialist on nULTA app.
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Can Perforated Eardrums Be Prevented
You can’t prevent all perforated eardrums, such as those caused by an infection. But some are avoidable.
To help prevent a rupture:
- Never stick anything into the ears, even to clean them. If something stuck gets in your child’s ear, have it removed by a health care provider. Trying to do it at home could damage the ear.
- Avoid flying on airplanes if your child has a cold or sinus infection. If you have to fly, have kids chew some gum during takeoff and landing. They also can try to equalize the pressure in their ears by yawning or swallowing. Babies should be breastfed or given a bottle or sippy cup to drink during takeoff and landing.
- Get lessons before scuba diving. These teach kids how to equalize the pressure in their ears. They shouldn’t scuba dive if they have an ear infection, sinus infection, or cold.
Reasons You Should Stop Using Cotton Swabs In Your Ears
Cotton swabs are commonly used as a household remedy to clean out earwax from inner ears. Many parents use them regularly on their children. However, using cotton swabs to clear earwax can make matters worse, causing damage that leads to serious hearing and balance issues.
Need help clearing impacted earwax? Call us at 912-351-3030.
Heres why you should stop using cotton swabs for ear cleaning:
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Is Ear Wax A Problem
Sometimes you get a bit of wax build-up in your ear canal. This excess can be because youve used cotton swabs pushing the wax farther into your ears. Your ears will usually clear this up on their own, but if you notice you cant hear as well, your doctor can remove the excess ear wax safely. Procedures like ear irrigation, mechanical removal of wax, and wax softeners are standard practices, but studies suggest there isnt sufficient evidence to prove these procedures are safe.
What Are The Signs Of Swimmer’s Ear
Ear pain is the main sign of swimmer’s ear. It can be severe and gets worse when the outer part of the ear is pulled or pressed on. It also may be painful to chew. Sometimes the ear canal itches before the pain begins.
Swelling of the ear canal might make a child complain of a full or uncomfortable feeling in the ear. The outer ear may look red or swollen, and lymph nodes around the ear can get enlarged and tender. Sometimes, there’s discharge from the ear canal this might be clear at first and then turn cloudy, yellowish, and pus-like.
Hearing might be temporarily affected if pus or swelling blocks the passage of sound into the ear. Fever isn’t typical in most cases.
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What Causes Swimmers Ear
Swimmers ear or otitis externa usually develops in ears that are exposed to moisture. People who get it often have been diving or swimming a lot, which can bring the germs directly into the ear canal. Swimmers ear often happens during the summer months, when lots of us are enjoying water activities.
People who dont swim can also develop it by scratching their ear canals when they try to clean their ears. This is especially true if they use cotton swabs or dangerously sharp small objects, like hair clips or bobby pins.
Sometimes, in a person with a middle ear infection , pus collected in the middle ear can drain into the ear canal through a hole in the eardrum, casuing otitis externa.