If you’ve recently started wearing hearing aids, you might have experienced itchy ears at the beginning! Or, perhaps, your ears still get itchy after wearing your hearing aids for some time. Itchiness at the beginning is not uncommon, but there are some tips and tricks you can try to relieve the sensation.
Give it a few days
It’s totally normal to get a bit of itchiness when you first start wearing hearing aids. Luckily, this usually only lasts a few days! Your ears likely feel itchy because there’s something new inside the ear canal, but your ear will quickly get used to the feeling and the itchiness should get less and go away.
Keep the hearing aid clean
Remember that when you pick up your hearing aids to put them in your ears, any bacteria that might have been on your hands is now going into your ears! The skin of the ear canal can be quite sensitive to bacteria and even fungi, which can make the ear feel itchy. If your itchiness continues, try sanitizing the part of your hearing aid that goes in your ear every morning before you insert it. Use an alcohol swab or a spray of sanitizer on a tissue to gently wipe the dome, mould, and tube, sanitise your hands, let it dry for a few seconds and then pop it straight into your ear before you touch anything else.
Treat your dry skin
The skin of the ear canal can get dry just like anywhere else on the body. You can even get excema or psoriasis inside the ear canal. If you’ve noticed dry skin coming out of the ear, or if you tend to have dry skin elsewhere, try using a tiny drop of mild, unscented moisturiser on the tip of your finger at night after you remove your hearing aid. Pure Cream is a good one because it doesn’t contain any irritants that might create more problems! You only need a tiny bit- you don’t want to clog your ear up with cream!
Speak to your ENT about your itchy ears
If you continue to suffer from itchy ears long after you first get your hearing aids, and none of the tricks mentioned above help, you might need something a little stronger to get your itchiness under control. If you have excema or other skin conditions, you might need a cream with cortisone or other medicated ingredients, but it’s best to discuss this with an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist. In some very rare case, people can be allergic to one of the ingredients that the hearing aid domes or tubes are made out of. When this happens, we would need to identify the allergy and use a different type of fitting for your ear. Sometimes, if someone has a severe inflammation or irritation in the ear, they might need to give your ear a break from the hearing aid for a few days while it heals. Speak to your Ear, Nose and Throat specialist or your audiologist about whether this might be needed for you.
Itchy ears aren’t uncommon, but shouldn’t linger too long. Try the tips above, and let us know what’s worked for you. If you have any questions, contact us, or comment below.