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Ear, Swimmer's

General Information

Otitis externa is an infection of the skin that lines the ear canal. It is also referred to as Swimmer's Ear.
When water repeatedly gets trapped in the ear canal, the lining becomes wet and swollen. This makes it prone to superficial infection (Swimmer's Ear). Ear canals are meant to be dry.
Wax (cerumen) is produced by the ear canal as a natural water-proofing agent. Frequent use of cotton ear swabs depletes the wax barrier and increases the likelihood of developing otitis externa. On the other hand, excessive amounts of ear wax can inhibit water drainage from the ear, leading to skin break down, which leads to development of otitis externa.