THE frequent bathing in sea and in the swimming pool can facilitate otitis externai.e. inflammation affecting the external auditory canal, caused by bacteria (such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus) or fungi.
«Salted sea water or chlorinated swimming pool water can stagnate in the ears irritating and altering the skin hydrolipidic barrier of the ear canalwhich weakened exposes the canal to the attack of germs present in the water in which it was swum», he explains Giovanni Danesi, president of the Italian society of otorhinolaryngology. «The infection can be favored by an underlying seborrheic dermatitis, as well as by micro-lesions caused by the use of cotton swabs».
How to prevent otitis
How is otitis externa prevented? «Rinsing the ears immediately with fresh water and drying them well with the towel and the air of the hair dryer. In fact, the summer humidity hinders the evaporation of the water that remains in the canal.
UK, Kent, Reculver, female swimmer swimming freestyle in the sea at sunset
It is important to remember that the ear should be cleaned as far as the finger reaches, avoiding the use of cotton swabs. Earwax performs a very important protective and antibacterial function and the skin of the ear canal is very delicate », warns Danesi.
When you have symptoms – itching, a thick secretion that comes out of the ear canal, spontaneous pain or when the part is touched, muffled hearing – «you need to contact your ear specialist for the prescription of antibiotic therapy and to undergo any specific ear washing» concludes the doctor.
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