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I work in a fabrication shop, my ears get dirty everyday. I let the water flush in them as I shower but I notice if I use a q tip after a shower it still cleans "dirt" from them? Its not ear wax. How can I clean them with out a q-tip?
1. "What you want to avoid is salt crystals forming in your ears, especially if you have ear wax in there as the crystals can break the skin and allow bacteria into the subcutaneous cells and cause infection."
Otitis externa is contracted by swimming in fresh and chlorinated pool water as well as salt water. Salt crystals forming in the ear canal really isn't the issue--constant moisture is the base problem. Water swells the cells lining the ear canal and eventually these cells pull apart, allowing bacteria normally found in ear canal to move subcutaneously.
BTW, it's unclear what is meant by "...especially if you have ear wax in there" as all normal ear canals are protected by ear wax.
2. "After a days (sic) diving, clean them out with (dilute) hydrogen peroxide, not the stuff you bleach your hair with, but the stuff you sterilise (sic) cuts with."
A couple of issues. First, most cases of otitis externa are caused by water-loving bacteria and fungi. What hydrogen peroxide does in the ear canal is liberate oxygen (and causes the "kinda pops and crackles"). While this does have a transient and mild antibacterial effect, when the process is complete it leaves behind WATER.
Second, hydrogen peroxide likely is a worse offender than alcohol when it comes to removing too much ear wax and leaving the canal increasingly prone to irritatition and infection.
3. "If you have itching that persists more than an hour or so, then you need a topical antibiotic eardrop, neomycin sulpate (sic), bacitracin, something like that,...."
What antimicrobial product is used to treat otitis externa depends upon the causative organism.
Doc, in my humble experience, I have found that prevention is better than cure.
ear wax can crystalise with salt build up, and infections result.
too much alcahol, peroxide and vinegar reduces the ears natural defences.
OTOH clean ears are healthy ears. But I have only spent 10 to 15 thousand hours in the water, so what do I know except that my ears havent fallen off yet.
Another thread mentions the use of grain alcohol instead of isopropyl alcohol. Does it make a difference other than the cost and you can "spike" the punch bowl with the grain alcohol ?
Some isopropyl-based rubbing alcohol mixtures do contain a quantity of ethanol, aka grain alcohol. The ethyl alcohol is added to make it less drying to the skin.
In addition to substantially increasing the cost, the grain alcohol would not have the same degree of drying action as isopropyl alcohol. However, I suspect it wouldn't make a great deal of difference in effectiveness and it does have the added benefit you mentioned ; )
This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.
Looks like the only substitutes are
BOROFAIR OTIC SOL by Major
NDC# 00904352403 and
ACETIC ACID OTIC SOL by Bausch & Lomb
NDC# 24208061577
The main difference between the generic Domeboro solution and the 50/50 vinegar and 70% isopropyl alcohol is the Aluminum Aetate which is is an astringent to treat inflamation and itching.
Last edited by rrostie; October 9th, 2006 at 10:08 PM.
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Originally Posted by DocVikingo
