Swimmer’s ear
The skin inside becomes soggy, diluting the acidity that normally prevents infection. A cut in the lining of the ear canal also can allow bacteria to penetrate your skin. When this happens, bacteria and fungi from contaminated water or from objects placed in your ear can grow and cause a condition called swimmer’s ear (acute otitis externa, or external otitis).
Swimmer’s ear is an infection of your outer ear and ear canal. It can be associated with a middle ear infection (otitis media) if the eardrum ruptures.
Usually, self-care steps can relieve the symptoms of swimmer’s ear. However, a severe case of swimmer’s ear will require a trip to your doctor.
Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms of swimmer’s ear usually appear within a few days of exposure to contaminated water, and may include:
Severe pain on moving your outer ear (pinna, or auricle) or pushing on the little “”bump”" (tragus) in front of your ear.
This entry was posted on September 4, 2008 at 7:11 pm and is filed under Skin Related News. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.
Tags: skin cancer, skin care, skin cell, skin disease, skin health, skin problem, skin product, Skin Treatment
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