Itching of the ears once in a while is normal and does not seem to cause any health issues. However, your life can be disturbed if your ears itch often. Furthermore, You will lose focus and be tempted to scratch your ears occasionally.
The discomfort increases with time and eventually, you will always have your one hand busy scratching the ear without you noticing. Does this happen to you too? Have you ever wondered why are my ears itchy? Let’s understand the phenomenon behind this and some ways to solve it!
Why Do My Ears Itch Everyday
Allergies and Irritants
Any skin irritants or allergies can be the reason behind frequent ear itching. For example, nickel jewelry or other metallic earrings can trigger skin irritation. If you have sensitive skin, even wearing hearing aids with plastic coating can induce redness, inflammation, and irritation in and around your ears.
In addition, if you are allergic to food items such as nuts, milk, oats, and wheat then consuming those items can lead to an itchy face including the ears. Besides food, you can also be allergic to pollens, dust, or animal fur, leading to allergic rhinitis. This causes runny nose, congestion, and itchy ears.
Dry Skin and Eczema
When you are not taking care of your skin and moisturizing it properly, dryness develops. Sometimes, even over-skin exfoliation or over-cleaning of ears can be a reason behind dryness. As the ear canal and the skin around the ears become dry, there are more chances of foreign bodies easily penetrating your skin.
Our skin starts to become sensitive and starts reacting to even minor skin irritants or allergens. Consequently, you feel itchiness in the ears. Not only this, dry skin can give rise to a skin condition known as eczema. This condition is known by the presence of the following symptoms,
- Itching
- Blisters
- Redness
- Development of patchy skin around the affected area
When this condition involves the ears, your ears become itchy and the condition worsens if you do not treat it immediately.
Development of Ear Infections
If your areas are itching continuously, it means there are chances that they are infected with bacteria, viruses, or fungi. You will also notice a discharge from your ears if there is an infection associated.
If the infections are secondary to cold and flu, there will be an association of runny nose, decongestion, or fever. Another common cause of ear infections is living in a humid environment.
In damp areas, excess moisture disrupts the walls of the ears thus making the ear prone to any external agent. Those agents easily enter the ear canal and cause infection. This condition is also termed a swimmer’s ear.
Dermatitis
The most common types of eczema associated with itchy ears are atopic dermatitis and seborrheic dermatitis. Seborrheic dermatitis mainly affects our sebaceous glands responsible for producing oil.
It can involve our eyes, ears, and scalp thus making the skin around these areas flaky, itchy, and dry. One of the most common signs of this type is dandruff in eyelashes and scalp hair.
Dryness is also frequently observed in atopic dermatitis as the moisture dries out of your skin and the moisture barrier is disrupted. When dermatitis extends to the ear, you feel itchiness.
Excessive Wax Build-up
Last but not least, the build-up of excessive ear wax or impaction of wax in the ears can also make your ears itchy. While the production of ear wax is common as it acts as a protective mechanism against foreign bodies and other irritants like dirt, insects, and pollens, excessive wax production can be uncomfortable.
Also, Ears are self-cleaning and remove the wax by themselves but sometimes the wax starts building up in the ears when this cleaning mechanism does not work properly.
It increases discomfort and can make the ears itch. This build-up also increases the chances of an infection which can make things even worse.
Ear Examination and Earwax Removal with BeBird Note 5 Pro
When the ears are itchy, we are always tempted to use cotton swabs or other thin objects like hair pins and any weird object we see into the ears and scratch them. Such weird objects not only damage the walls of the ear canal but also put your eardrum at risk of perforation.
Under such circumstances, it is advised to use an ear-friendly tool for looking into the ear, removing excess wax, and dealing with other causes of itchiness in the ears.
One such tool is the Bebird Note 5 ear camera. Some of its plus points are given as,
- Its miniature built-in 10-megapixel camera can provide you with a clear view of the ear structures so that you can identify the disrupted area
- The camera offers a wireless connection to the phone making it easy to move both the camera and mobile independently
- It even allows you to save pictures and videos to show the doctor.
In addition to managing your ear issues at home, you can consult with a doctor as well. Furthermore, treating the root cause will help you keep itching under control.
If the infection or eczema is the reason behind itching then it is best to use moisturizers or antibiotic drops to treat it. If ear wax is the reason, then the Bebird multipurpose kit can come to your rescue once again. It has high-precision tweezers that can grasp wax and help you remove it easily.
Moreover, you can also use other ear wax removal methods like:
- Try Ear drops: Ear wax removal drops like hydrogen peroxide drops are available in the market. These are used to dissolve the ear wax which can be later removed through irrigation
- Warm Oil Can Help: Warm oil serves the same purpose as ear drops. They soften the wax so that it can be easily removed from the ear. You just need to out 2-3 drops of oil for 2 weeks
- Irrigation is the Easiest: Lastly, you can try irrigation with a bulb syringe. It helps you release water into the ear with gentle pressure and remove wax easily
Conclusion
There can be several underlying causes behind the itching of the ears. This itchiness might be signifying that you are suffering from a disease including an ear infection, the start of an allergic reaction, or a skin condition like eczema. Moreover, excessive wax is also a common cause of developing frequently itchy ears.
When these problems are left unsettled, the itching increases continuously thus increasing your discomfort. You cannot perform your daily life activities comfortably and efficiently.
So, if you notice the symptoms of any disease, contact a professional immediately and get it treated. To examine the ears regularly and prevent the problem from recurring, use the Bebird device that can help you do timely checkups at home.
Also Read: Earwax 101: Essential Tips for Safely Removing Ear Build-Up
