Your Complete Guide to Summer ENT Care and Swimmer’s Ear Treatment

From family vacations at the lake to a relaxing afternoon on the beach, summer is a perfect time for fun, excitement and a good break from the daily grind of your regular schedule.

But summer also brings challenges.

Allergies are in full bloom. Swimming in pools, lakes, and the ocean can cause water-logged ears that require swimmer’s ear treatment. Even loud noises from fireworks or music can have long-term repercussions.

At Raleigh Capitol ENT, we want you to be prepared to face the ENT challenges that summer presents and keep your ears, nose and throat healthy. So we’ve created this useful list on ENT care that will help you remain healthy during your summer ventures.

Your Complete Guide to Summer ENT Care and Swimmer’s Ear Treatment

Swimmer’s Ear Treatment

Treatment for swimmer’s ear is a common reason patients visit us during the summer months. Swimmer’s ear occurs when water gets stuck in the ear canal. This creates the perfect environment for bacteria to grow and multiply.

Symptoms of swimmer’s ear include:

• Itchiness
• Drainage
• Pain in the outer ear, especially when it is tugged
• Ear redness
• Swelling

What is the Treatment for Swimmer’s Ear?

While every case is different, typically, swimmer’s ear treatment involves antibiotic ear drops and cleaning the ear canal.

How Can You Prevent Swimmer’s Ear?

If you don’t want to have swimmer’s ear treatment, you may avoid the condition with these basic precautions:

• As much as possible, try to keep your ears dry. This may mean using custom-made ear plugs. Swimming caps can also help.
• Always dry your ears completely—even if you’re just taking a shower.
• If you’re having trouble getting water to leave the ear canal, try tilting your head back and forth.
• Try pulling your earlobe back and forth.

If these techniques fail, please schedule an appointment with us so we can alleviate the situation by clearing the ear before an infection occurs.

One important matter: Do NOT use ear-drying drops for swimmer’s ear treatment unless we direct you to. If you have had ear tubes or other issues, such as a hole in your eardrum, using drops without the care of one of our ENTs in Raleigh can cause further damage.

You can read more details about swimmer’s ear in our earlier article about Common Problems Affecting the Ears. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control also have some useful information.

Avoiding Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

A fireworks celebration is fabulous, but if you’re too close to the excitement, your hearing may pay the price. And fireworks aren’t the only culprit. Loud noises from boat motors, music or performances can have a cumulative effect on your hearing.

What Qualifies as Too Loud?

We recommend exposing yourself to noise no louder than 80 decibels (dB) without hearing protection. To place that in context:

• Normal conversation is around 60 dB
• A rock concert usually clocks in around 110 dB
• Fireworks can range from 140 to 160 Db

(Interested in learning more about how your ear processes sound? Check out this fascinating slideshow from the Mayo Clinic.)

In an earlier article, we go into some detailed advice on ways to protect your hearing. You’ll find that this is important information if you’re going to be in a situation with loud noises.

If you believe your hearing has been compromised or you’re having difficulty understanding what is being said, please schedule an appointment in Raleigh, Wake Forest, Garner, Holly Springs or Cary so we can conduct a hearing exam to determine the extent of the problem and offer solutions.

Being Proactive Against Pollen

Summer means that flowers and other plants are in full bloom—as well as pollen. The result is itchy, watery eyes, coughing and sneezing, postnasal drip and sore throats—along with other symptoms. Not only can these put a damper on summer plans, but they simply make you miserable and keep you from enjoying the activities you love.

Some of the most common summer allergens include tree and grass pollen, mold and ragweed. The key to avoiding the miserable summer symptoms is to be proactive. Often, medication or allergy shots (immunotherapy) can be key to controlling your miserable symptoms.

At Raleigh Capitol ENT, we offer an extensive array of allergy treatment services where we get to the heart of the matter to ensure we’re providing the most effective treatment available. If allergies are causing problems for you—no matter what time of year—we’re on standby, ready to help you. Just schedule an appointment with us.

Need Advice on ENT Care or Allergy Treatment? Contact Us for an Appointment

While summer can present specific ENT challenges, we want to help ensure your health throughout the entire year. Whether you need allergy treatment, ear tubes or your child needs tonsils removed, we provide the latest in state-of-the-art care coupled with compassion. We promise to take time to listen to your concerns and answer your questions.

See why we are the area’s premier ENT doctors in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, and Garner.

Schedule your appointment today.