DEAR DR. GOTT: I have had itchy dandruff on my head for 40 years. Then I started wearing hearing aids and the itching was terrible in my ears. I went to a dermatologist who told me to take Zyrtec, an antihistamine. It ended all the itching on my head and in my ears. A lifetime of itchiness is gone.
DEAR DR. GOTT: I read your recent article in my local paper about cleaning ears. I have a purebred Bassett hound who has chronic ear problems due, of course, to the length of her ears. The proper formula for cleaning them in 1/3 water, 1/3 alcohol and 1/3 white vinegar. I have found this to be much less harsh than the straight alcohol/vinegar solution and I believe that it would work for humans as well.
DEAR DR. GOTT: I read your article on itchy ears. I had them for over 10 years. Over time I used a technique of writing down everything I touched, ate or put on my skin. I found that whenever I was with a short-haired dog, I began to itch. I also noticed the same with certain foods and fragrances. I would often wake up with earwax under my fingernails and would get infections often.
I began using non-fragrance handmade soaps and avoiding dogs, anything with fragrance, and those foods which caused symptoms. Topical ointments did not work and the alcohol you recommended for cleaning made them drier. I also take a generic allergy pill (diphenhydramine) when needed.
DEAR READERS: Thank you all for writing. Itchy ears are (seemingly) much more common than most doctors realize. This is likely due to the fact that most people don’t complain about the problem; they simply live with it.
Allergies are typically associated with a runny nose, watery/itchy eyes and sneezing. However, they can cause a variety of symptoms from mild to severe to life-threatening and can include difficulty breathing, hives, rash, swelling, sinus congestion, and more. With sinus congestion, the pressure is often felt behind the cheekbones, but it can also put pressure on the ears from behind. In some instances, mucus can even be pushed into the inner and middle ear and beyond the eardrum causing muffled or lost hearing, pain, drainage, and infection.
Those living with itchy ears are likely doing harm to the outer ear canal by constantly digging or scratching. This is compounded when instruments, such as pen caps, cotton swabs, or any other slender object are placed into the ear in an attempt to relieve the symptoms.
I recommend readers ditch the cotton swabs and instead clean the ears with the water/alcohol/vinegar solution no more than once a week. Should wax become a problem, visit your physician who will perform ear lavage to flush it out safely. If itching is a problem, you can do as my reader above did and keep a detailed journal to look for patterns. Seek out the advice of an otolaryngologist (ear-nose-and-throat specialist) or an allergist to determine if there is an underlying cause. But, whatever you do, don’t scratch. You are simply inviting infection, pushing wax and dead skin further into the ear and likely causing more damage.
Readers who are interested in learning more can order my Health Reports “Allergies” and “Ear Infections and Disorders” by sending a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and a $2 (for each report) US check or money order to Dr. Peter Gott, PO Box 433, Lakeville, CT 06039. Be sure to mention the title(s) when writing or print an order form from my website, www.AskDrGottMD.com.
