Why Should We Wear Swim Plugs?
What an interesting topic to write a blog about. Most people go swimming and may think of putting a swim cap on to protect their hair, either from the chlorine or from the water. We don’t often think about your ears and why it might be important to wear plugs when swimming.
Why should you wear swim plugs?
We see a lot of otitis externa which is a bacterial or fungal infection of the ear canal. In many places it is called swimmers’ ear or tropical ear. This is because it often occurs after people have been swimming at the beach or in a swimming pool and water has got into their ear. Otitis Externa can be quite unpleasant, particularly if it takes a hold. Wearing swim plugs can prevent water from getting into the ear and causing Otitis Externa
So, what are the symptoms Otitis Externa and why does it occur?
Itchy ears which don’t stop itching. Ear pain (especially when you touch your ear), sometimes jaw pain. Fluid leaking from the ear (which can smell) and when the ear is blocked with fluid or the canal is swollen or the eardum is affected, people can have trouble hearing. People who have diabetes, skin conditions and autoimmune disorders are at more risk of developing Otitis Externa. But 1 in 10 of us will have an episode of it during our life.
Earwax (cerumen) and oily layer sebum protect the lining of the ear from fungus and bacteria so anything that reduces the amount of wax (such as sea water splashing into the ear canal or the use of cotton ear buds), may allow ear infection to take hold, see picture below.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are often found in warm moist areas like bathrooms, hot tubs and swimming pools are causes of otitis externa. You can also have otitis externa that is fungal too. 9 out of 10 fungal infections are due to a fungus belonging to the Aspergillus fungus the rest are caused by a fungus by a Candida . The person looking in your ears will see fungal spores similar to what you see at home on stuff left to rot. All of these like moisture and humidity which is why we often see this more in summer.
What does wearing swim plugs do?
Wearing swim plugs as shown above, prevents water getting into your ear and festering there. Here in the UK and in many other countries our rivers and beaches are polluted and are more likely to carry bacteria’s that will cause Otitis Externa. In addition, most of us hate it when we get water in our ears and can’t shake it out. It’s so very annoying (it is for me!)! Much easier to take an ear plug out and have a nice dry ear.
But remember to keep clean them with a baby wipe before you put them away so they are nice and clean for next time!
As always, I leave you with another thought…. We know too much sun exposure isn’t good for our skin and can lead to skin cancers in the long term. We are now very good about wearing sun cream. But we often forget to put it on our ears! So don’t forget to put sun cream on your ears as they often get burnt. I have had many a client over the years have bits of their ear removed due to sun related damage.
By Louise Hart
(Psych) Grad Dip Audiology, RCCP RHAD
Audiologist and Trainer
Tracy James Hearing swim plugs start at £95 a pair.
Custom-made ear products are made using impressions of the ear. This requires putting a soft sponge down the ear canal, then filling the ear with soft putty that hardens after 4-5 minutes of setting time. Once the impression is set, we take it out of the ear and send it to the manufacturer to make up your product.
