DEAR DR. GOTT: You heard from a reader with extreme itching of the ear canals. I, too, had this problem and tried anything to relieve it. My doctor suggested taking a new bottle of rubbing alcohol, removing two tablespoons of it and replacing it with two tablespoons of white vinegar. I apply it with a cotton swab that I use to clean my ears and haven’t had the itching since. I used it with itching in my bellybutton, and it cleared that up as well. I now try it first on almost any skin irritation, and it resolves the problem most of the time.
DEAR READER: Cotton swabs shouldn’t be used to clean the ear canals. They can push wax further into the ear, damaging the eardrum. I believe millions of people currently use cotton swabs to clean their ears, despite package warnings that they shouldn’t be used that way. All it takes is one slip of the hand for potentially serious or permanent damage to be done. Even if that doesn’t occur, wax that is pushed further into the ear can build up over time and cause pain, reduced hearing or hearing loss, or lead to infection — all of which require a doctor’s appointment.
The ears are designed to drain wax out naturally; don’t mess with them by shoving in small, fluffy things, in an attempt to keep them clean. There’s a well-known expression that a person should not put anything into an ear smaller than an elbow! You will likely do more harm than good. It may even be that your itching ear canals are a direct result of your injudicious use of cotton swabs.
Instead, I recommend you pour a small amount of the alcohol/vinegar mixture directly into your ear, let it sit for a few seconds, then drain the liquid.
I have received several letters and emails recommending various combinations of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. The most common mixture ratio is 50/50. My only concern is that overuse may dry the ear canals and cause increased itching, so I’d suggest limiting use to no more than twice a day during treatment.
