Alternatively, if the skin inside the ear fails to produce an adequate amount of wax it increases the risk that the ear will become irritated and dry. Too Much or Not Enough Ear WaxĮxcessive wax in the ear can cause the skin to become irritated and itchy if the offending wax is not removed. Read this article to know the possible causes of this discomfort as well as safe methods of managing that will provide adequate relief.Ĭauses of Itchy Inner Ear 1. There are many underlying conditions including swimming, allergies, bugs and etc. Subsequently, growing the organism on a special gel (culture) and applying various drugs allows the specific antimicrobial agent required to kill the organisms causing the infection to be determined.An itchy inner ear is quite common and is rarely cause for concern. Examination under the microscope (microscopy) by the Microbiologist enables the type of infective organism to be diagnosed. How?Īfter inserting a sterile plastic speculum into the ear hole, a fine sterile cotton bud probe is immersed in the pus and immediately stored in preservative for transfer to the laboratory. When an infection is seen or suspected, a sample is therefore sent for laboratory analysis.
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Acute infections result in the production of pus, which is commonly thick yellow-green in colour and may have an unpleasant smell. Infections caused by bacteria or fungi require antimicrobial treatment, which varies depending on the specific infective organism. ENT surgeons are reluctant to recommend syringing because there may be underlying problems obscured by the wax, such as a perforated or weak ear drum, which significantly increases the risk of causing permanent damage or infection. Syringing the ear canals with clean warm water has been a traditional method for removing wax, but requires special care or this procedure may result in permanent damage to the ear. Typically wax is removed by inserting a small suction device through a sterile plastic speculum using the microscope, a procedure termed microsuction. Flakes of wax may also block the small soft rubber ear probes used with tympanometry, Eustachian tube function and Otoacoustic emission testing.
Inner ear itch free#
Excessive wax blocking an ear canal can cause hearing loss and therefore affect the results of pure tone audiometry or interfere with the free passage of water during the caloric test. It can prevent proper inspection of the skin lining the canal or ear drum, and its presence can interfere with diagnostic testing.
It is a painless short procedure.Īccumulated wax is often present in a normal ear canal. A single-use sterile plastic speculum is introduced into the earhole and the overhead microscope swung into position. Typically the examination chair is reclined so that the patient’s head can be stablised on the headrest to prevent even minor movements, which could cause discomfort. The normal eardrum is only about 1 cm in diameter, so enlarging this by x4 or higher results in more accurate diagnostic information. Microscopy means carrying out a detailed examination of the external canal and ear drum using an operating microscope for magnification. Ear itching is due to infection or irritation of the skin lining the external ear canal (otitis externa).
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