“Happiness is having a scratch for every itch”
I can’t stop scratching my ears, the ear buds don’t do it for me anymore, Is what a lot of my patients say to me. The itch in the ear is the one never to be scratched. Ears are delicate organs which are to be handled with the utmost care and respect by both the doctor and the patient. It doesn’t take long for the itch to turn into pain once you start handling it. Q tips which are now widely known as ear buds were never designed to be inserted into the ear, that is the reason we don’t see any advertising for the same.
Why does it happen?
- Dryness
- Fungal infections
- Excessive ear wax
- Dysfunctional Eustachian tube
- Contact dermatitis
- Unhygienic use of earphones or microphones, to name a few.
What not to do?
- First and foremost do not insert anything inside the ear canals
- Do not use over the counter ear drops
- Pouring any hot oil or water will only make it worse
How to go about it?
For immediate relief use a simple anti allergic tablet that will relieve the symptom temporarily
Visit a local ENT clinic near you and find out the reason behind all the excessive itching.
How to clean the ears?
Ears are self cleansing organs they demand no special rituals from you to keep them clean. In about 10 percent of the general population due to the unusual shape of the ear canals this function doesn’t happen naturally. These patients are then advised by the ENT specialist for annual ear cleaning.
Why are Q tips the enemy?
Ears are made of bone and cartilage, which is lined by a very delicate and taught skin. The skin at the entrance has hair follicles and sebaceous glands which act as barriers from any foreign microbes from entering the ear canal.
The moment Q tip is inserted into the ear it disturbs the natural function by pushing the wax with the hair follicles further into the ear canal and paving way for the foreign microbes to enter the ear canal.
Furthermore the delicate skin that lines the ear canal is very easy to bruise and abrade which the Q tip does. This causes a favourable environment for the microbes to grow and bring about the infections.
There is a reason why the ear canal is inaccessible with our bare hands, hygiene is not excessive unnecessary cleaning of the ears. Good ear hygiene is to let the ear perform its natural function without any manipulation.
