Swimmer Ear Solution

[ScubaGil]

Hello fellow divers,
I have a question regarding packing, transport, and containment of your swimmer ear solution. I want to make my own solution of 1:1 Alcohol and white vinegar. However I can't find a decent way to contain it. I see many dropper bottles that are either 1,2, or 4 Oz, but I'm not to keen to pack a few bottles.

I'm heading to a liveaboard in the Maldives and doing 3 dives a day for 10 days means at least 20 treatments for each ear (for me at least). While I was on the Belize Aggressor a few months ago they had actual diner like ketchup bottles with this stuff.

How do you transport and then use this or, do you rely on the prepackaged stuff, or the boat?

Would really like to hear how folks deal with this.

Thanks in advance,
Gil

 

[tbone1004]

you don't need to do it after every dive... only after the last one of the day. You can cause more problems with overuse of the stuff. Once a day and let it sit in each ear for a couple of minutes before draining out and you'll be fine. I'll do 4 dives/day when teaching at a quarry and only rinse out once per day

that said, I use dropper bottles normally or the travel contact solution bottles if flying. You can pop the lids off and refill them with ear beer and call it good. I'd call/email the liveaboard to see if they have bottles on board though because if they do, I wouldn't bother bringing my own.

 

[ScubaGil]

Such a simple solution....thank you tbone

 

[fmerkel]

Personally I do use every time. The alcohol help break surface tension and flush the water out of the ears. If it's in there, I want it out. That's a simple post-dive 'rinse'. Then a longer application at the end of the day.

 

[uncfnp]

after last dive of the day for Eric and myself

and I am normally not squeamish about anything but I would have my own bottle for our personal use

 

[Beau640]

FYI I am not certified in Dive Medicine but an am an Emergency Medicine physician.

If you overuse the various solutions out there for swimmers ear, you can develop an inflammatory reaction in your ear secondary to essentially a contact dermatitis/chemical overuse. This will set you up to develop the full blown swimmers ear (otitis externa) even though you are using the drops as a preventative.

I would recommend using the drops once a day, after the last dive of the day, to prevent irritating the skin in your ear canal from the drops themselves and setting yourself up for swimmers ear.

 

[Frontpointer1000]

FYI I am not certified in Dive Medicine but an am an Emergency Medicine physician.

If you overuse the various solutions out there for swimmers ear, you can develop an inflammatory reaction in your ear secondary to essentially a contact dermatitis/chemical overuse. This will set you up to develop the full blown swimmers ear (otitis externa) even though you are using the drops as a preventative.

I would recommend using the drops once a day, after the last dive of the day, to prevent irritating the skin in your ear canal from the drops themselves and setting yourself up for swimmers ear.

I was about to say the same thing. Im also an emergency medicine doctor, and when I heard someone was going to be applying "ear beer" or some other swimmers ear concoction multiple times over the course of ten days, all I could think about was the potential for skin break down and consequent ear infection.

YMMV, but I'd recommend against too much of the stuff.

 

[BoltSnap]

Shouldn't it be just white vinegar and no or VERY little alcohol only?

 

[tbone1004]

general recommendation is 50:50. Want the alcohol to assist in getting the water to get out and disinfect and the vinegar to protect the ear canal from drying out too much.

More On Swimmers Ear — DAN | Divers Alert Network — Medical Dive Article
50:50 per DAN

 

[Manneca]

I just found at CVS an oral medicine syringe. It's like a needle syringe, but it has no needle. I'm going to try this for my upcoming trip. I mix 50:50 in a large bottle. So, I'll be able to draw the mixture into the syringe and then squirt it in my ear.