Swimmer's ear, an infection of the outer portion of the ear canal, can cause pain and burning in the ear. Swimmer's ear, also known as acute otitis externa, occurs when bacteria or fungi begin to grow in your ear canal. Treating symptoms as soon as they occur can help prevent complications from the infection.
Symptoms
In addition to experiencing pain and burning in your ear, you may notice that your ear canal feels blocked, making it difficult to hear. Other symptoms include fever, swelling in the lymph nodes near the neck or ear, itching, fever or drainage from the ear, or redness or swelling around the outer ear canal. Pain can be severe and may affect not only the ear, but the head, face or neck. Pulling on the ear lobe can cause pain to worsen.
Causes
Moisture can become trapped in the ear after swimming, bathing, sweating or using hairspray. When bacteria or fungi begin to grow in the moisture, an infection can occur. Bacteria also can enter your ear canal through small scratches or cuts. Using fingers, cotton swabs or other objects to remove wax from your ear can result in scratches. Small cuts also may occur if you wear hearing aids or headphones. People who have excess ear wax or eczema are at higher risk of developing swimmer's ear. Eczema causes an itchy rash and flaking skin.
Treatment
Doctors treat swimmer's ear by first removing excess earwax or skin flakes that could prevent medication from fully penetrating the ear canal. Prescription ear drops reduce swelling, inflammation, pain and burning, and treat fungal or bacterial infections. You may need to take oral antibiotics if the infection has spread beyond your outer ear canal. The American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery reports that most infections should clear up in seven to 10 days with proper treatment.
Prevention
Using ear plugs when swimming or washing your hair will help reduce moisture in your ears. If you would rather not use ear plugs, dry your outer ear with a soft cloth after exposure to water or use a hair dryer to dry your ears. Keep the hair dryer at least a foot away from your ear and use the lowest heat setting. Placing cotton balls or ear plugs in your ears when using hair spray, dyes or other products will help prevent moisture from reaching the outer ear canal.
Over-the-counter ear drops are helpful in not only drying the ear, but also prevent fungi or bacteria from flourishing in the canal. You can make a homemade version of the drops by mixing 1 tsp. of rubbing alcohol with 1 tsp. of white vinegar. Place 1 tsp. of the mixture in each ear and allow it to drain from the ear naturally. Avoid using cotton swabs or other objects to remove wax from your ear. In addition to causing tiny scratches, these objects may push wax deeper into your ear.
