Hearing Aid Complications

@jenmc22

Hi, I don’t have eczema but I do get itchy dry ears. Been wearing allergenic molds for years and currently have a soft left mold and a hard shell right mold with my BTEs. My ENT suggested that I use Mineral oil ....daily is okay. I bought a large bottle and a smaller bottle with a dropper. Sometimes I put a drop in at night and very often just swab around the outer ear before inserting them in the morning. It’s just like using a moisturizer and has helped with itchiness.
Ears get more moist, especially here in the south, so I have to swab them out with a tissue once or twice during the day.
The ears are not getting enough air when we wear custom snug fitting molds and dryness and itchiness will always be a problem. I also use a manual ear drier (a bulb like thing) that swimmers use for swimmers ear. When going to the beauty parlor, I put Vaseline onto cotton and use them as plugs.
Helps not to get the canals wet . You could also have some allergy to hair products that lack of air will make worse.

I’ve been using the mineral oil for years. It doesn’t build up..just gets absorbed into the skin. Ant drugstore has it. And I have less ear infections...something which I am prone to.

Try it....it might help. It’s awfully uncomfortable to have problematic ears and hard to ignore. I would not want to be on steroids for any length of time except for a severe episode.

FL Mary

Thank you. I will try the mineral oil. I do have a product called Miracell, I think its called and it is a oil of sorts but I terrible about remembering to use it. I will also look into the ear drier that you mentioned as my ears are so uncomfortable and just a little scratch when they itch unbearably sets off a very undesirable chain reaction of wet, gooey and more itchy ears which sometimes leads to painful infections.

@jenmc22

Hi,
Miracell is pricey and has a lot of ingredients although they are suppose to be botanicals. Big bottle of mineral oil is so cheap.
You might be able to find the bulb drier in the drugstore. They have electric ear dryers also online. Be sure to clean those molds every night and again in the morning. I occasionally twist off the tube and wash them with soap and water and put the aids in my dry and store at night.
Put the oil by your bed so you won’t forget. You can also put a small drop on the mold prior to insertion.
So tempting to scratch or q tip an itch. I found that rubbing my outside ear vigorously helps. Key is to keep the canals free from moisture.

Hope you find relief soon.

FL Mary

There are non-steroid treatments for eczema. Ask your doctor about protopic or elidel. I have seborrheic dermatitis on my face and protopic helps me.

I will, thank you!

Are you using a dryer with an ultraviolet light? There are many types of ear molds. Have your audiologist research more.

I have eczema in the ear canal. My first symptom was fluid pooling around the opening to the canal. Turns out that is a hallmark indication of “weeping” eczema. I also had make-you-crazed itching. So think dead, flaky skin cells and raw skin underneath.
I’m on Mometasone, a fairly potent steroid/wonderdrug. I put 4-5 drops in nightly for two weeks than weekly afterwards.

@pb50 I can't tell if you use hearing aids, but am assuming that you do. Having an allergic reaction to a product that is inserted into the ear canal is fairly common. Have you talked to the fitter about trying a different earmold or dome made of non-allergenic material?

Julie,
Actually i should but don't yet..
Saw my ENT re what turned out to be the eczema and am returning for updated hearing assessment.