It makes sense really when you think about it. If you have eczema on your body then you could have it inside your ear. It’s very frustrating because you can’t get to it to apply moisturiser and you can’t scratch it! The latter actually being no bad thing.
Since starting Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW), I noticed that my ears had been getting completely blocked and also painful, which could be a sign that there’s an infection. This happened during year one and the beginning of year two of my TSW healing.
Sometimes being very itching inside the ear can also be a sign of an infection. Always get this checked out by a doctor. This happened three times during TSW so I’ve written my very own tips on what do:
- Visit your doctor or GP – If you have prolonged pain or smelly discharge from your ears, there could be an infection. The discharge from my ears smelt gross, kind of like yeast, sort of bovril or marmite smell. Ewwww. An ear infection should always be treated seriously so go to the doctor and ask for some swabs to be taken to test first. Be very wary of any medication as the bog standard ear treatments they give contain steroids. My doctor diagnosed ‘otitis externa’ which basically means an outer ear inflammation or infection – the part of the ear channel that gets air on it I guess! She didn’t think it was actually infected, just that it looked like it had eczema on the skin inside the ear. Sadly the first thing she suggested to treat this was steroid ear drops. I didn’t want to use these but there wasn’t anything else on offer. I managed to refuse the steroid drops, after much discussion and promised to return the following week if things hadn’t improved. She had told me that as well as steroids, the ear drops she wanted to prescribe had acetic acid in them which is basically vinegar. So I told her I’d try using just apple cider vinegar at home. Read Apple cider vinegar to treat ear infection.
- Olive oil ear drops in a spray – I had been using olive oil drops which had been improving things slowly. It certainly can’t do any harm and is the easiest solution to try first. I got a spray dispensing product from the chemist which makes it much easier to administer but you could just try to get a few drops of olive into your ear, sit with your head on one side for about 10 minutes, then do the other ear. Have tissues or cotton wool handy to mop up excess oil spillage afterwards. I used Earol olive oil spray and you can get one with tea tree in it too, made for swimmers but also perfect for TSW gunged ears.
- Tea tree oil – I started adding drop of tree oil, but make sure you dilute this into a carrier oil as the skin in your ear is very sensitive and it could sting or burn. Always patch test before using if you’ve not used it before. You should find neat tea tree oil in most chemists and also at health food stores. I don’t know if some brands are better than others but the plant grows in Australia so I usually get the Aussie stuff! You can also buy it on Amazon, and if you use this link to buy tea tree oil or anything else, I get a tiny bit of commission, which helps me keep this blog running – Australian Tea Tree Oil 10ml
- Get hold of a small bottle with pipette dropper of spray dispenser – I found one I could refill and now I make my own ear healing mix when I need to.
- Bicarbonate of soda ear treatment – This is probably the thing that helped the most, but you need to do the olive oil treatment first to soften and loosen the stuff that’s adhered to the sides and stuck together. This one just takes all the credit because the feeling when you do it is incredible. I don’t know if you could make this yourself as it come as a clear liquid. To use it, you drop/spray in a few sprays and hold your head on its side for ten minutes. Then when you’re done, get some cotton wool or a balled tissue and use your finger to sort of plunge the ear, like a sink plunger. It sounds mad but this seems to agitate the stuff sticking up your ear and it all comes pouring out. Some gross stinky stuff came out of my ears! Ewwww. But the relief was instant and such a relief. I used Otadrop and it was brilliant. The third time my ears blocked up with TSW skin and ooze this stuff cleared it without me needing to go to the Ear clinic.
- Balmonds rosehip scar oil – I also used this, I was so desperate at some points in time. This oil is a lovely mix of essential oils that are completely safe to put in your ear and I think it helped my ears heal up after I’d managed to clear them. Use Promo code WHATALLERGY for 20% off.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – I tried this when the doctor had told me my ear might be infected and the only solution was this steroid ear drop, which I refused. I think it helped as I had a horrible smell gunge and ooze coming out and now my ears smell completely clean and of nothing at all.
- Check out your local ear clinic – Where I live the NHS no longer offer ear syringing or cleaning. It’s something you need to go privately for. I found a local Ear Wax Removal and Microsuction clinic. They were so amazingly kind. They were really shocked and had never seen ears so stuffed up like mine… they were a bit worried but went really gently and managed to clear them enough for me to be able to hear again. It blocked up again and the next time I went they said it had healed so well and was much less inflamed and easier to clear out. I only had to get this done twice and last one was just days before lockdown. Boy am I grateful I managed to get that done or I’d have gone mad being so deaf. Thank you so much to the staff at Chalfont Hearing.
- DO NOT insert cotton wool buds – This is really dangerous. I know it will feel like you need to and it can be insanely itchy but don’t be tempted. You can do a lot of damage doing this.
- Buy cotton wool balls – I used these to soak in the Rosehip oil and tea tree oil mix and I could them safely plug my ear and help to heal the outer ear area. I mean I was deaf anyway so it didn’t stop me hearing. You could also do this at night so that your ears get an intensive treatment.
What you should expect
The dry skin flakes fall off your body during washing and exfoliation but inside your ear it can quickly build up. When it starts to go through TSW and heal it’s pretty intensive. The amount of flakes and ooze and gunge coming out of my ears was A LOT. I never used steroids in my ears, never. Although possible I did have ear drops a few times which judging by the doctor’s appointment I had, probably had steroids in them without me knowing.
Check ALL ear drops and treatments offered by any doctor for steroids ask them to confirm it’s steroid free. Don’t use it if it has steroids in it.
It makes me very sad, why are steroids the first line of treatment when these natural solutions can sort things?
Has anyone else had blocked and painful ears during TSW?
NB. This is not medical advice. I am not a doctor. Please seek professional medical advice if you suspect an infection.
What else could itchy ears mean?
If the inside of your ears itch it can be a sign of seasonal allergies. So if you have hay fever or are allergic to grass, pollens etc. this could be a side effect. So if it’s not infection this could explain things.
hi, this is very interesting, I do get excema in my ears! and have dermovate cream but only works for a little while. I used tolive in Australia and we had a tea tree in our garden! I will give it a try. would it also help with psoriasis?
Hi Barbara, I’m not sure as I don’t have psoriasis. but I think it would help as it has amazing antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties
I have this but bizarrely find it has disappeared when I’ve been poorly and uanble to eat for a number of days. I think mine is diet related, but am not sure what causes it specifically.
Just a precautionary note re. tea tree oil – I don’t think you’re supposed to use it if pregnant.
Hey there, interesting re the food link, there is a definite link with food for me too. Have you ever kept a detailed food, mood and symptoms diary? I have a template if you’d like to give it a go. If you have someone you can give it to like a dietician they would potentially be able to help you with the detective work of finding out what foods give you problems. Then the next step is an elimination diet but this is hard work and takes dedication and commitment to do. The initial diet is quite restricted and can be hard to stick to if you’re busy with kids etc. Good point re pregnancy, didn’t know that so will add a flash on the post so people definitely see that. Hope you’re well.
I have this however strangely discover it has vanished when I’ve been inadequately and unfit to eat for various days. I do get excema in my ears! what’s more, have dermovate cream however works for a brief period. I used to live in Australia and we had a tea tree in our nursery! I will check out it.
I hope you can fix it naturally in future with the Dermovate steroid cream. Try diluted tea tree in olive oil or apple cider vinegar. Worked a treat for me, but if sypmptoms persist, do get them checked out by your doctor as it could be a fungal or bacterial infection.
Thank you for sharing your research! I’ve never had eczema or allergies until TSW started on and off around 2010 when given hydrocortisone for an infected hair follicle. I now understand I was in TSW when I suddenly had severe vertigo in 2019. The doctor said my ear canal was perfect, that it was a crystal that had come loose and causing vertigo. I was given exercises after receiving positional vertical treatment at the office. My vertigo became worse I’m right away, along with new ear pain and a stuffy nostril on the same side. I was given steroid ear drops and steroid nasal spray to use on just the one side. I used it for the 5 days as prescribed and a few days later my vertigo was worse again, along with worsening ear pain, nasal congestion and a muffled sound in my ear. The prescriptions were renewed. This went on for 6 months until I saw an ENT. It was on the medication when I saw him and again I was told my ear was perfectly fine. That the pain was psychosomatic. He also told me to stop the medication. That doctor was so rude that I asked to see another ENT and saw that one two weeks later. By then I had excruciating ear pain, and had gone deaf in that ear. Coincidentally, I had also stopped using Elidel that same week. I had a mysterious rash and my doctor had prescribed it to me while I waited to see a dermatologist after ruling out allergies. The second ENT showed me my ear canal, it had a white substance in it that was hard and attached to my ear drum. I was told I had to have surgery after several attempts to remove it. Then covid came along and shut everything down (I’m in Canada) The pain comes in cycles, my vertigo gets stronger at the same time. They both go away in cycles. I bought an otoscope to look in my ear just recently. It is stuffed full!! There’s not a lot of info on TSW in the ear and I can’t find anyone with vertigo. I’m going to try your solutions, thank you again for the information!
Hi Angie, I’m so sorry you are going through this. To get rid of stubborn stuff stuck in there I found the bicarb of soda ear drops to be the best. You drop some in and let it sit for say 10 mins and when you turn your head upright again, use a cotton wool pad or tissue to catch the fluid and do like a mini sink plunger effect in the ear with your finger tip. This finally helped me clear out the stubborn stuck stuff. In the UK we can go to an ear place to get it unblocked – they use a hoover type thing. I hope you find some relief. It’s horrible having blocked ears.
TSW for 1..5 years. At year 1 I had an ear I fiction which was treated with drops that had steriods in them. It made me relapse worse than. My original flare. I’ve had 6 ear infections in 7 months now. I’ve seen an ENT bit at the time the cyst like abses had gone away from oral anti iotcs. I’m so frustrated with all of this. If anyone has good insight I would love to hear it . craigbenton1975@gmail.com
Urgh the ear TSW is the absolute worst because you literally can’t hear a thing either. I’m so sorry they gave you steroid ear drops to treat it. What an absolute nightmare. I found the best thing was the bicarb of soda ear drops, really simple, no steroids and worked so well. It’s so hard trying to shift these infections. I used to mix tea tree in with some chosen oil to drip in my ears too and that really helped. They smelled so bad when there at their worst. Hated that part of TSW. Mine took about 6 months to get better but they will eventually.