For patients who have had problems with ear infections, the following advice is helpful in reducing the likelihood of future problems.
- Keep your ears dry (no water must enter your ears). To help with this, do not put your head under water in the bath, and when in the shower, place a grape-sized ball of cotton wool which has been smeared in vaseline in the outer ear to stop any water getting in.
- Do not used cotton buds or other implements to clean the ears as they can push wax deeper into the ear and can also scratch the ear canal skin, causing infections.
- If you use hearing aids, ear phones or head phones, moisture can build up in the ears which can make them itchy and sometimes give rise to infections. Therefore try and remove them when you can to allow the ears to dry out.
- If you have a hole in your eardrum, you should not have your ears syringed as this can cause discomfort and infection.