Swimmer Ear Solution

[BoltSnap]

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

Not quite:

"Making Your Own
So what's all this leading up to? "Home brew" to prevent ear infection, as many of our members wrote in to share with us. White wine vinegar is 4-6 percent acetic acid, and if it's mixed with an equal amount of isopropyl alcohol, it would probably work fine. Using undiluted vinegar may make the solution too acidic and cause irritation. Using less alcohol may be wise if you find that the 50:50 mix provides too much drying - this can make your ear canal sore after several days of use.

In principle, just diluting the acetic acid 50:50 with water might work since it appears that the acidic pH is more important than the drying effect of the alcohol."

 

[BoltSnap]

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.

Just use a small dropper bottle and it will last you a very long time.

 

[tbone1004]

Not quite:

"Making Your Own
So what's all this leading up to? "Home brew" to prevent ear infection, as many of our members wrote in to share with us. White wine vinegar is 4-6 percent acetic acid, and if it's mixed with an equal amount of isopropyl alcohol, it would probably work fine. Using undiluted vinegar may make the solution too acidic and cause irritation. Using less alcohol may be wise if you find that the 50:50 mix provides too much drying - this can make your ear canal sore after several days of use.

In principle, just diluting the acetic acid 50:50 with water might work since it appears that the acidic pH is more important than the drying effect of the alcohol."

depends on what you're trying to do. If you're trying to just kill the stuff in your ear, then yeah straight vinegar works, but the alcohol helps to dry out the ear canal from the water that's in there and that has benefit. Reason for it being in all of the solutions, but depending on your skin sensitivity, equal parts may not work for you. It does for most

 

[BoltSnap]

Using less alcohol may be wise if you find that the 50:50 mix provides too much drying - this can make your ear canal sore after several days of use.

This is the key phrase here to watch for in multi-day use. It appears that a higher % of vinegar and less % alcohol is better (I'd go 30% alcohol and rest vinegar).

 

[fmerkel]

The 'critter' most likely to cause otitis externa is pseudomonas. It's pretty resistant to a lot of agents, but it goes down pretty well with vinegar. It does better in warm water than cold, but is present pretty much everywhere.Cold water divers tend not to get it unless they are diving a lot. I did God's Pocket this spring, 3 dives/day x 5 days and never bothered with ear beer, nor did anyone else I saw.

I don't do 5" soaks after each dive. I'm actually a Doc's Proplug user. I think they work great as a first line of defense. No water = no exposure.
If water does get in, and I have a VERY torturous ear canal making it difficult to get out, I use the solution to help drain it. A simple squirt, and drain. IMO a temporary exposure to ear beer is better than an extended exposure to contaminated water.

Note, damn near ALL water we dive in anymore is contaminated. It's just a matter of when and how much. The water at God's Pocket probably is pretty clean. There are almost no human habitations near any of the dive sites.

I do tend to make my ear beer a bit more on the vinegar side.
FWIW most of the [ear dry] commercial solutions in the drug store are about 95%+ isopropyl alcohol. The only really good thing about them is the long fine application tip.

 

[billt4sf]

The DAN article says:
"No matter what solution you use, remember its effectiveness is drastically reduced unless it remains in the ear canal a full five minutes. "

I guess I'm lazy. I don't see myself holding my head sideways for 10 minutes a day. Hmmmm....

What about a mineral water rinse after each dive? And then a (short) ear beer rinse at the end of the day? I'm sure the water in which I dive (Indo) is contaminated. Plenty of trash in the water in many places, and probably no sewage treatment in most. Maybe I better start working on my neck muscles...

- Bill

 

[chillyinCanada]

Have you had swimmers' ear before? The reason I ask is because I almost never have trouble with it. Just a rinse with fresh clean water if and when I feel it's necessary. I'm questioning the wisdom of using an ear beer at all, if one is not pre-disposed to it.

 

[Scubagolf]

1/3 white vinegar
1/3 isopropyl alcohol
1/3 distilled water

After very dive, 4-5 minutes each ear.
I bought a small plastic bottle at the pharmacy for a couple of bucks that had nasal spray in it. Dumped the nasal spray rinsed and used it for the ear beer.

 

[fmerkel]

Have you had swimmers' ear before? The reason I ask is because I almost never have trouble with it. Just a rinse with fresh clean water if and when I feel it's necessary. I'm questioning the wisdom of using an ear beer at all, if one is not pre-disposed to it.

I did not while those around me did, for about 3 years. Then I got it. You generally get it on a dive vacation, so it screws up the vacation, at least the diving part. Call it cheap insurance.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I carry ear drops with an antibiotic in it, so I understand "insurance ". I've never had to use it yet on a dive trip, but have used it at home unrelated t diving. Heh