Ear pain, drainage from ears, loss of appetite, dizziness, and dumb hearing, itchiness, redness – these are the symptoms that you experience if you are suffering from swimmers ear, an infection caused by the swimming in water. As this is common among swimmers, people many have given this name, swimmers ear.
But all ear infections are not considered as swimmers ear. You may get ear infection with similar symptoms due to other reasons, but if the infection is caused by the water entering into your ear, especially when you are swimming, it is called swimmers ear. Therefore, difference between ear infection and swimmers ear is determined by the way your ear get infected.
You are like to get swimmers ear if you swim in lake, pond or rivers where the water is polluted and dirty. The bacteria and fungus that are living in unclean water can enter into your ear and cause infection. However, if you are swimming in a swimming pool with a correct PH value, you are unlikely to get swimmers ear.
Bacteria and fungus grow on the tissues of your ear. Moisture and dark that prevail in your ear provide a breeding ground for fungus and bacteria. When they are breeding on your ear, they damage the soft skin. So you have to take some precautions before you go for swimming.
Use ear plug or a swimming cap to protect your ear. If you are swimming in a well maintained swimming pool, you are unlikely to experience swimmers ear. However, it is advisable to use an ear plug when you are going to swim in a pool as protective measure. On the other hand, if you are going to swim in a river, tank, or stream, you have a greater chance of getting swimmers ear. Therefore, it is better to make it a habit to wear an ear plug when you are swimming in unclean place.
Remove the water, clean, and dry your ear when you come out from the water. You can turn your body from side to side and shake your head; then, water gets removed from the ear. At the same time, you can use isopropyl alcohol to dry your ear. The main idea is that when you dry your ear, bacteria and fungus cannot live and grow on the soft skin of your ear.
If you get swimmers ear, you can try this homemade medicine too. Get some acetic acid, which you can find them in white vinegar, and isopropyl alcohol and mix them together. Then put about 5 drops to your ear that has swimmers ear. Acetic acid liquefies the wax that harbor fungus and bacteria while vinegar dry and clean your ear.
Stop swimming until you recover if you are taking treatment for swimmers ear. If you go to water with infected ears, you situation can become worst. At the same time, you have to protect your ear from dust when you are getting treatment for swimmers ear.
Swimmers Ear is an infection cause by growth of bacteria and fungi on soft tissues of your ear. You are likely to get swimmers ear if you swim in polluted water. So take preventive measures when you go for swimming next time.