Do vented ear plugs work? The topic comes up often.+

[doctormike]

how about the 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 white vinegar, and 1/3 Hydrogen peroxide formulas.

alcohol to dry
peroxide to kill bacteria
vinegar to lubricate and prevent cracking

Fluff or acceptable?

Alcohol to dry - true

peroxide is mainly used to dissolve earwax

vinegar is used to drop the pH (make the solution more acidic) which inhibits the growth of common ear canal organisms (Pseudomonas aeruginosa).



In general, you want the mixture to be more alcohol, since the more aqueous stuff you put in it (water containing stuff like peroxide and vinegar), the less likely you are to get the ear canal dry. I recommend taking a bottle of rubbing alcohol, pouring a bit out and putting in a 2-3 tablespoons of white vinegar.

Excessive peroxide use will dissolve the helpful thin layer of earwax that should be coating the ear canal, so best not to use that unless you have a hard plug of wax that you are trying to dissolve. Even then, it's probably better to have someone clean it out under direct vision.

Also, these are great. I take one with me whenever I dive. It comes with four tips so you can share it with your buddies!

 

[DocVikingo]

how about the 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 white vinegar, and 1/3 Hydrogen peroxide formulas.

alcohol to dry
peroxide to kill bacteria
vinegar to lubricate and prevent cracking

Fluff or acceptable?

Hi Hallmac,

I'd recommend reading this --> Doc Vikingo's Preventing Swimmer's Ear

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[bleeb]

how about the 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 white vinegar, and 1/3 Hydrogen peroxide formulas.

alcohol to dry
peroxide to kill bacteria
vinegar to lubricate and prevent cracking

Fluff or acceptable?

I vaguely recall someone pointing out in an ear beer thread a while back that mixing in peroxide doesn't achieve much. 'Normal' off-the-shelf stuff only contains a few percent peroxide. It effectively immediately reacts with an equal amount of alcohol or vinegar (any organic compound) and breaks down, leaving you with more or less 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 vinegar, and 1/3 water. If you want peroxide, dilute only with water and pour straight in your ear, but I've gone with doctormike's point that removing ear wax can actually cause more problems.

 

[phinnymoose]

I haven't had much luck with vented plugs, but I do use the mask that has tubes connecting to ear-covering pockets. These often end up with water in them but may help during initial descent. What helps the most, though, is taking Claritin D + alleve for a week before I go and the whole time I'm there.

 

[Bratface]

Vented plugs didn't work for me. Fortunately, I no longer have the problems I had a few years ago. They are worth trying.

 

[n733lk]

Claritin D + alleve for a week before I go and the whole time I'm there.

Why the Alieve?

 

[Pullmyfinger]

I've always used straight alcohol, a cap full in each ear. I didn't realize that it could cause problems with ear wax or excessive drying. I've never had a problem before, but that doesn't really confirm that I should be doing that. I'll cut it in the future.

-Mitch

 

[DocVikingo]

Excessive peroxide use will dissolve the helpful thin layer of earwax that should be coating the ear canal, so best not to use that unless you have a hard plug of wax that you are trying to dissolve. Even then, it's probably better to have someone clean it out under direct vision.

If that "someone" is an ENT, allied ENT paraprofessional or other doctor, which IMHO it should be, then the use of kits such as was recommended in post #8 of the following thread --> http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/diving-medicine/373666-how-long-takes-ear-fullness-go-away.html are far cheaper and more convenient, and have fresh medical support regarding their effectiveness, e.g., Randomized Trial of Bulb Syringes for Earwax: Impact on Health Service Utilization
Randomized Trial of Bulb Syringes for Earwax: Impact on Health Service Utilization -- Coppin et al. 9 (2): 110 -- Annals of Family Medicine

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[skankpile]

I bought the plugs on a whim, but had not used them and they've been sitting in my car for about 6 months. But, its warmed up a bit and today I dove without a hood and again the vertigo hit me and I have to take an hour nap to get over it.

Anyways, I remembered the plugs in my car so I tried them today.... they will now be used every time I'm not using a hood. I'm sold, I could not believe the difference. The water does not rush to my ear, I don't have the clearing problems after the dive, and the vertigo is not happening anymore...

I also use drops/solution after every dive as ear infections are just no fun and it helps clear the fluid... its my ritual.

I'm ordering a couple extra pairs of proplugs for backup.. for me they work great.

 

[HowardE]

Why wouldn't you use them with a hood?