Itching in the ear
Martina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.
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Itching in the ear tempts you to poke your ear canal with your finger, cotton swab or other things. This can quickly injure the inside of the ear. In addition, the itching in the ear can only be relieved for a short time by scratching, because an infection is often behind it. Read the essentials about causes and treatment for itchy ears.
Itching in the ear: description
Ear itch is understood to mean occasional or chronic itching in the ear canal. Chronic itching is difficult to treat and often recurs.
An infection (inflammation of the ear canal) is often the cause of the itching in the ear. It is caused, for example, by excessive or incorrect ear cleaning. But other diseases such as allergies or psoriasis can also cause itchy ears.
Itching in the ear: causes and possible diseases
If your ear itches, there can be different causes. The most important are:
Inflammation of the ear canal (otitis externa): Inflammation of the external ear canal with or without involvement of the eardrum is usually caused by a mixed infection with bacteria and fungi. But it can also be caused by allergies, for example. Soaps, shampoos, hairsprays and certain ear drops containing antibiotics act as allergy triggers. The ear canal inflammation starts with a feeling of pressure and itching in the ear. There are also diffuse, severe pain (e.g. when chewing or pulling on the auricle), foul-smelling, purulent discharge from the ear, swelling in the ear canal and possibly a hearing loss. Sometimes a fever also occurs.
Insufficient ear wax: Some people naturally have too little ear wax (cerumen); this can make your ears itchy.
Skin conditions: Eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions can cause itchy ears.
Allergy: The typical symptoms of a seasonal allergy (hay fever) are a runny and often blocked nose, the urge to sneeze and itchy mucous membranes. In rarer cases, those affected also complain of itchy ears and skin.
Itching in the ear: when should you see a doctor?
See a doctor if:
- In addition to the itching in the ear, other complaints occur, for example ear pain, discharge of secretions from the ear or hearing loss.
- the itching in the ear continues or gets worse.
Itchy ear: what does the doctor do?
The ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT doctor) will first ask you about your medical history (anamnesis). He asks, for example, how long the itchy ear has been there, whether there are other symptoms (such as earache) or whether you suffer from an underlying disease (e.g. diabetes, allergies).
He will then carefully examine your ears. If he has a concrete suspicion of what might be causing the itching in the ear, further examinations may follow. If the doctor suspects a bacterial infection, a smear is taken and the pathogen is identified. If an allergy is a possible cause of itchy ears, an allergy test will be carried out.
This is how the doctor can treat itchy ears
If an underlying disease is causing the itchy ear, it must be treated. For example, if an allergy triggers itching in the ear, allergy medication (antihistamines) are used. If the ear canal inflammation is caused by an infection, the ears are first cleaned thoroughly. Then the patient is given appropriate medication, for example antibiotics against bacteria or antimycotics against fungi.
Especially in diabetics, an inflammation of the ear canal can take a severe course (otitis externa necroticans) and may then require an operation.
Itchy ear: you can do it yourself
Itching in the ear is often caused by an inflammation of the ear canal. Various factors can promote such inflammation. These include excessive ear cleaning, the use of cotton swabs, and frequent bathing or swimming. In order to avoid ear canal inflammation and the associated itching in the ear, you should therefore heed the following advice:
- Don't overdo it with cleaning your ears or the skin inside will dry out. It is then more susceptible to bacterial and fungal attack.
- Actually, the ear canals do not have to be cleaned at all - they do this all by themselves with the help of numerous cilia that constantly transport dust, excess ear wax and dead skin towards the exit, i.e. the auricle. You should especially keep your hands off cotton swabs. Usually you only push the ear wax & Co. deeper into the ear. In addition, the hard inner core at the end of the rods can easily damage the sensitive skin of the ear canal - a welcome gateway for bacteria and fungi.
- Diabetics with poorly controlled blood sugar levels should be particularly careful when cleaning their ears. They often do not notice minor bruises and injuries in the ear canal, which leads to bacterial and fungal infections more quickly.Diabetic people should have ear wax removed by an ENT doctor at least once a year.
- In the case of ear canal inflammation with pain and itching in the ear, cold is often perceived as more pleasant than warmth. In this case, you can put cotton swabs soaked in high-percentage alcohol (schnapps, medical alcohol) into the auricle. As soon as the cold stimulus subsides, repeat the procedure. Alternatively, you can put an ice pack on your ear, covered with a linen cloth. The following applies to all cold applications: stop immediately if you find the cold stimulus unpleasant.
- If swimming pool water, bath water, soaps, shampoo etc. make your ears itch, you can largely seal off the ear canals with special water-repellent cotton wool before swimming, bathing, showering or washing your hair. This way, only a little water penetrates into the ear and the itching in the ear can be prevented.
