My Ears Itch. What Should I Do?

Itchy ears are a common and annoying problem and one that can be frustrating to try to solve. If you wear hearing aids and have no known skin conditions then the itching is likely cause by bacteria, over cleaning, or the fine little hairs in your ear canal being tickled by the hearing aid piece in your ear.

We all have hair in our ears. Some of us have an abundance!  However, these little hairs are not accustomed to being touched. It is common for the newer receiver-in-the-ear hearing aids with the little silicone domes to cause a little itchiness at first. If the itching continues for more than a few days, you should ask your audiologist to try a different dome size. This will often stop the itching.

If you use a custom ear piece, chances are that the itching comes from moisture and bacterial growth on the shell. Your best option is to purchase a hearing aid dryer with a UV light. The UV light will kill any surface bacteria. Another option is to use antibacterial wipes BEFORE you insert the hearing aid in your ear. Try to find wipes that are alcohol free such as Germ-X Soft Wipes.

Finally, though it is tempting to scratch at your ear with cotton swabs, you might be making the problem worse. Your ear canal has a very fine, protective layer of keratin that you might be wiping away. When this layer is missing, the ear canal cracks, weeps and is more vulnerable to furor itching and infection.

If you have seen your doctor and the itching is not a medical problem, then you might consider non-steroidal topical creams.