The South San Francisco Aquatics Club is the place for you to be this summer season. Offering recreational swimming activities, here, you can have fun while escaping the heat. Be careful though, you shouldn’t be too complacent about letting yourself stay in the pool too much. Frequent exposure to water also comes with health risks, one of which is an infection in the ear canal called swimmer’s ear, or Otitis Externa. Getting rid of it requires you to seek help from a provider of urgent care in South San Francisco. Understanding what this infection is will help you avoid and treat it.

Pool Time

Causes

Frequent swimming can cause infection because of the moisture that builds inside your ear. That moisture creates an environment conducive for bacteria and fungi found in water to multiply. Summer humidity can also increase the risk of getting swimmer’s ear as it affects the condition of the ear canal’s skin. Aside from these, aggressive cleaning using cotton swab is another cause of such infection. Failure to tend to the problem immediately may make the infection worse.

Symptoms

The symptoms of swimmer’s ear depends on severity. Mild symptoms include itchiness and redness, as well as discharge of clear fluid. Signs of moderate infection, on the other hand, range from intense itching, pain, and increasing discharge of fluid or pus. When the infection has become severe, you’ll feel the pain reaching your face, neck, and side of the head. Your ear canal will also be blocked completely and consequently, you’ll have difficulty hearing.

Treatment

Prescribed eardrops and medications that fight infection and inflammation are the most common cure for swimmer’s ear. Your doctor can give you a prescription. Your ear infection may improve within a day after using the medication, and the infection can be completely healed within three to five days. But if symptoms persist or get worse, go back to your doctor immediately.

Swimmer’s ear can take the fun out of swimming. So, to avoid it, make sure you wear ear plugs that will help keep the water out. When water gets inside, dry your ears by turning your head to the side and pulling the ear lobes to different directions. Avoid using cotton swabs to clean the ear canal as it may irritate the skin further. But in case you or any of your kids still get infected, seek help from a South San Francisco urgent care clinic.

Source
Swimmer’s Ear (Otitis Externa), drugs.com