An estimated 10% of people will experience swimmer's ear. One patient's story helps highlight who can be most at risk.
‘Here’s How I Knew I Had Swimmer’s Ear’: It’s Not Your Average Ear Infection, a Patient and Doctor Share
Published on Jul. 31, 2025
About the expert
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Swimmer’s ear is an infection of the outer ear, usually involving the ear canal, says Kathryn Noonan, MD, an ear, nose, and throat doctor specializing in the inner ear at Tufts Medical Center. “Medically, it is termed otitis externa, but has the nickname ‘swimmer’s ear’ because it is often caused by water exposure,” Dr. Noonan explains. “It is fairly common in the summertime when the weather is warm and people are going swimming.”
The bacteria that cause swimmer’s ear thrive in warm, moist places—making any water in your ears after a swim the ideal environment for an infection to develop. However, Dr. Noonan explains you can get swimmer’s ear when land-bound, too. Other risk factors for swimmer’s ear include:
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Having chronically dry or flaky skin in the ear, particularly if you have a skin condition like eczema or psoriasis.
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Removing too much earwax when cleaning your ear, as earwax protects your ear canal from bacteria.
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Using swabs or other instruments to clean your ear, which can cause damage (even just a small scratch) that can serve as an entry point for bacteria.
An estimated 10% of people will experience swimmer’s ear in their lifetime, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)—but it’s much more common in children. The AAFP says that the swimmer’s ear rate for adults aged 20 and older is closer to 5%.
Most cases of swimmer’s ear can be cured with antibiotic drops, explains Dr. Noonan, adding that it’s important to address symptoms sooner than later, as swimmer’s ear can get very painful and lead to further complications if not treated, she explains.
Below, one man shares how a Fourth of July pool party led to a hospital stay—and what he’d do differently next time.
From a pool party to urgent care: Here’s how I knew I had swimmer’s ear
By Fawaz from Boston, as told to Leslie Finlay, MPA
“I went swimming on the Fourth of July in a pool, and a couple of days after that, I started to feel this sort of sore spot in my ear,” Fawaz explains. “I had my girlfriend check it out. I thought it was maybe like a pimple or something at first.” His symptoms progressed quickly. “By the next night, [both] my ears were, like, fully swollen,” he says.
That sore spot in his right ear had turned into a bilateral (double) ear infection. This isn’t unusual for other types of ear infections, but is a rare complication for swimmer’s ear, according to Medscape.
“I tried using hydrogen peroxide at first,” Fawaz shares, “which I’ve heard is kind of a home remedy for simple ear infections. But that didn’t really work.” He turned to Tylenol and Advil as well, which didn’t make much of a dent in his symptoms, either.
“At that point, I figured I should probably reach out to at least some virtual care.” So that was Fawaz’s first step. “They prescribed me some neomycin ear drops, which didn’t really work, so I went to urgent care the next day.”
Not your average ear infection
“I’ve had an ear infection before … but this was unlike anything I’ve ever had in the past,” Fawaz shares. “My ear canal was so swollen that the inflammation also spread to soft tissue around my TMJ—my temporomandibular joint—so I was having my jaw kind of locked in place for a night or two. I was having a lot of trouble with eating, in particular, but talking as well,” he continues. “And then I had this sort of constant tension headache for like two days.”
When he arrived at urgent care, “they gave me stronger ear drops, but at this point my ears were so swollen that drops were no longer penetrating, and I was leaking discharge out of my ears. I was in a lot of pain at this point, so I went to the hospital to have them treat and relieve some of my pain.”
Fawaz went on to spend three nights in the hospital for treatment. “They prescribed me antibiotics that I first took orally and then received through IV,” he says. “Then they also put these wicks in my ears.” Dr. Noonan explains that when the ear canal is too swollen for ear drops to reach, a doctor may place a wick, or a tiny sponge, in the ear to help ensure delivery to the infection site. “From there, I started to get better,” Fawaz says.
Preventing future swimmer’s ear
“This was so unlike any ear infection I’ve ever had in terms of the severity of it, I thought I had possibly perforated an eardrum or something. The pain was just on a completely different level than anything I had felt in the past.”
Based on his doctor’s recommendations to keep his ears in good health, “I’m going to stop using Q-tips for one,” Fawaz says. “[These] can push stuff deeper into your ear, and they can also bring bacteria into your ear.
“Then, also making sure that my ears dry out properly after I swim, knock the water out and make sure they’re dry. Possibly using swimmer’s ear drops before I go swimming, too.”
These tips can also be worth remembering for routine showering or other types of water submersion.
What to do if you suspect you have swimmer’s ear
Among Fawaz’s chief takeaways: “I will definitely try to receive treatment as soon as possible if I ever feel like it’s sort of sore in my ear again. I’m not going to wait and see if it’ll maybe go away.”
This is because, as in Fawaz’s case, a swimmer’s ear infection can progress very quickly—and waiting too long for treatment can have serious consequences. His doctor explained that “it could have possibly spread to my middle ear, spread to the bones in and around my ear, in my skull and my jaw. At that point, it could have resulted in permanent hearing loss and spread of infection.”
According to Dr. Noonan, symptoms of swimmer’s ear can include:
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Pain and tenderness when touching the ear
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Ear drainage
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Ear itching
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A feeling of “fullness” or a “blockage,” similar to Fawaz’s first “sore, pimple-like spot” symptom
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Any level of hearing loss
She says that if you experience any of these symptoms, you can try using swimmer’s ear drops as a first-line treatment. There are products sold over-the-counter, or she suggests making your own drops using equal parts rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. After using the drops, dry out the ear with a cool, low-power hair dryer. “If it doesn’t feel better, you’ll likely need to seek care for antibiotic ear drops.”
It’s also a good idea to see a medical professional if your ear isn’t improving because the symptoms of swimmer’s ear overlap with other conditions that may require treatment. “Wax blockage, trauma to the ear canal, pain in the jaw joint, and inner ear infections can sometimes mimic swimmer’s ear,” Dr. Noonan explains.
Whether you’re treating swimmer’s ear at home or heading to the doctor’s, “Whatever you do, don’t try to clean out the ear at home because tiny scratches in the ear canal can worsen the infection by allowing more bacteria in,” Dr. Noonan warns.
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