Itching in the ears periodically appears in all people, including those who are absolutely healthy. A slight tingling sensation, tickling in the ear appears when a large amount of sulfur is released and it moves to the outer edge of the ear canal. In this case, itching in the ear goes away rather quickly and does not cause much discomfort to the person. You can get rid of it easily and simply - you should rinse your ears from wax (using peroxide and vegetable oil).
However, persistent itching in the ears is an unpleasant and intrusive problem. A person whose ear is constantly itching inside (it does not matter if the right or left ear itches) cannot concentrate on work and rest normally - the itch does not give him rest.
What are the causes of this condition? The problem may be associated with infection, allergies, dermatitis of various etiologies. Sometimes it is a symptom of a systemic disorder such as diabetes. In this article, we will look at the most common causes of itchy ears, and also talk about how to get rid of this discomfort.
Self-cleaning ear and itching
In many cases, itching in the ear is caused by irritation of nerve receptors with sulfur. Sulfur is a lubricating secret that plays an important role in moisturizing, cleansing, and protecting the ear canal and eardrum from water, cold, and microorganisms. So sulfur is not dirt at all. The problem is that many people believe that the harder they get the wax from their ears, the better. This is fundamentally wrong! And that's why.
The human ear canal consists of two sections - cartilaginous, located closer to the auricle, and deeper - bone. The bony section is bordered by the tympanic membrane. Earwax does not form here, so you do not need to try to penetrate as deep as possible to clean your ears. Sulfur is formed only in the outer, cartilaginous part of the canal. At the same time, it constantly moves to the outer edge of the ear canal.
The movement of a large amount of sulfur can be accompanied by tickling, slight itching.
Note that mechanical irritation of the auricles and ear canal causes increased sulfur production.
That is why the ears itch inside after listening to music with headphones, sleeping with earplugs, cleaning the ear with a cotton swab, etc.
As far as the use of cotton swabs is concerned, this is the most common cause of ear problems. So, abuse of this hygiene device can lead to:
- irritation of the sulfur glands and an increase in their activity (which, in turn, can cause periodic itching in the ears);
- pushing the sulfur mass from the cartilaginous to the bone;
- the compaction of sulfur and the formation of a sulfur plug, partially or completely covering the lumen of the ear canal;
- damage to the eardrum.
Cleansing agents such as shower gels, soaps, etc. can also interfere with the proper functioning of the sulfur glands. At the same time, they can cause both an increase in sulfur production and an inhibition of this process.
Lack of wax and excessive dryness of the ear canal is a common cause of itchy ears. This is typical for people who abuse hygiene products when washing their ears.
Itchy ears as a pathology
Ears constantly itch inside with a number of dermatological and systemic diseases:
- psoriasis (usually ear psoriasis appears in patients with psoriasis of the scalp):
- eczema (in this case, the skin of the ear canal becomes dense and dry, then a rash appears on it);
- allergic dermatitis (associated with hypersensitivity to the components of shampoo, shower gel, ear drops, etc.);
- otomycosis (fungus of the skin of the ear canal);
- diabetes mellitus;
- psychosomatic disorders.
Determining the true cause of itching is not always easy. First of all, it is necessary to check whether the appearance of itching is associated with sulfur hypersecretion. To do this, you should examine the ear canals. In a healthy person, subject to daily hygiene, the auditory canals are clean, but moistened with the secretion of the sulfuric glands. If you do not clean your ears, a noticeable ring of sulfur in the visible area of the ear canal appears in about 7 days. In a person suffering from hypersecretion, an excess of sulfur mass is noticeable within a couple of days after cleaning the ears. And vice versa: people suffering from dryness of the ear canal have practically no wax in their ears even a week after brushing.
As already noted, the cause of sulfur hypersection is frequent mechanical irritation of the skin of the ear canal. Less often, this feature is genetically determined. What to do in this case? Clean your ears no more than once a week using non-mechanical means (peroxide, oil, cerumenolytics), less often use in-ear headphones and earplugs.
The reasons for excessive dryness are different. So, it can be associated with the abuse of skin cleansers for ear hygiene. In addition, dryness of the ear canal develops with a fungal infection of the skin of the auricle. In the later stages of otomycosis, a black or green plaque appears in the ear canal, but in the early stages of the disease, itching and dry skin are the only symptoms.
Itching associated with dryness is also common in diabetes mellitus. Itching is the first symptom that appears long before the rest of the symptoms of the disease. It is worth noting that with diabetes, itching often appears in the groin area, in the bends of the elbows, in the folds of the abdomen; itching in the ears with diabetes does not always appear.
How to make you feel better?
If washing the ear canal from the wax did not help relieve the discomfort, it is necessary to identify the cause of the itching and start appropriate treatment. Itching associated with dryness can be temporarily relieved by any moisturizer as well as vegetable oil. Lubricate the ears with your finger or a cotton swab with a stopper.
Moisturizing the skin can help relieve itching, but it does not affect the underlying cause of the discomfort.
For example, if dryness is associated with otomycosis (ear fungus), moisturizing will not solve the problem. In this case, a complex multistage treatment is required under the supervision of a physician. Otomycosis therapy includes antifungal ointments, drops, and systemic drugs (usually in the form of tablets).
It is known that itching occurs with the release of histamine, an inflammatory mediator. Therefore, almost any anti-inflammatory ear drops will help get rid of this feeling. With obsessive itching, you can take antihistamines of systemic action, which are usually used for allergies - Suprastin, Claritin, Zyrtec and others. Do not abuse antihistamines - they can cause sleep disturbance, nausea, dry mouth and other adverse reactions. Their use is fully justified in the presence of an allergic component in the pathogenesis of the disease.
Severe itching in the ears, constantly disturbing, is a reason to seek the advice of a doctor (therapist, dermatologist, otolaryngologist). Do not get carried away with self-medication, letting the disease take its course.
