Summer reminds us how a bit of warmth and blue skies can lift the mood. Many look forward to summer adventures and a chance to take a break or spend time with loved ones. It’s time to get organised: children have grown out of swimsuits, you’ve ran out of sun lotion and everyone needs new holiday clothes. But one thing that may not be top of your list is your ears.

We see lots of people at our clinic who have come for Hearing Wellness Checks or Wax Removal because they’ve had holidays ruined in the past due to ear problems.

Holidays and Hearing issues

Every year in the hearing profession we see people returning from holidays with similar stories of woe:

• Ears blocked and couldn’t hear for the rest of the holiday

• Painful ear infection and had to find a doctor / pharmacy on holiday

• Ears painful on the flights or after landing

It’s no fun when you’ve been looking forward to and saving for your holiday all year. Anyone with experience of a painful ear infection will tell you how excruciating it can be, whilst it’s not ideal having to work out how to access a doctor and get hold of prescribed medications when you’re supposed to be topping up your tan. Instead of chilled drinks on the lounger between cooling swims, you’re stuck with antibiotics and painkillers, can’t hear properly with a discharging ear and really don’t feel like doing anything.

Why does this happen?

Wax is often the issue which can swell when it gets wet. You may have a partial wax blockage but be unaware. Being in and out of the sea or pool on holiday means the chances of it swelling is much greater. Once wax swells and blocks the ear canal that’s it – you can’t hear properly and may notice unsteadiness, tinnitus as well as discomfort and irritation. If you rub the ear, tilt or shake the head it may be possible to temporarily resolve things, however at this point any desperate attempts to remove wax often result in pushing it deeper and compacting it further.

What about infections?

If sea water or pool water isn’t particularly clean, the chances of contracting an infection increase when this water enters the ear canals. Even if ears are clear this can occur, but if there is wax present it may be absorbed, meaning the water is sitting in your ear canal and giving a great opportunity to any pesky potential infections. It is so strongly correlated that some medical professionals call this “Swimmers ear”.

Even worse if your wax swells and blocks the ear completely, trapping dirty water deep between the blockage and your ear drum. This creates lovely conditions for an ear infection to flourish and increases the likelihood of it becoming a nasty infection. Most mild outer ear infections don’t cause lasting damage to your hearing, but if more severe they can become middle ear infections which can cause lasting damage to your hearing or make you more prone to future ear infections and hearing problems.