Ears are as important an organ in humans as the heart or stomach. Just imagine how hard it is for deaf people to live. They cannot perceive the world through sound sensations. Therefore, ears should be treated as seriously as other vital organs. If irritation, itching suddenly appeared on them, pain is felt when touched, then these symptoms should not be ignored. Be sure to understand the reasons why the ear itches on the outside or inside.
Note that such unpleasant sensations not only cause discomfort, but can also indicate serious pathologies. There are cases when the itching resolves by itself, for example, when the interaction with the allergen ceases. If a person has such a problem, it is recommended that you simply feel better within 2-3 days using the ointment. But this is the simplest reason why the ear itches outside. There are more serious ones, such as dermatitis, parasites, infectious otitis media, external otomycosis, psoriasis, eczema. These diseases are fraught with serious complications, therefore, require complex treatment. In this case, itching is a pronounced symptom. Fighting it even with the help of drugs will not bring relief, since it is necessary to get rid of the root cause. So, let's look at why the auricle is itching and a sign of what disease this symptom may be.
Allergic contact dermatitis
The most common reason why the ear itches on the outside is an allergic reaction. Itching appears immediately after contact with a certain substance. In medicine, they call it an allergen. Dermatitis affects the skin of not only the ears, but also other parts of the body. Itching is not the only symptom that accompanies an allergic reaction. In addition to it, swelling of the affected area and severe redness of the skin can be pronounced.
The appearance of allergic contact dermatitis can provoke various substances. Most often, the reaction occurs on the metal alloys from which jewelry is made (chrome, nickel and others), cosmetics, powders, and even on the paint used to color things. For example, when in contact with earrings, ears can burn and itch almost immediately.
How does this type of dermatitis develop? Within a few minutes after interacting with the allergen, redness of the skin appears. A little later, the affected area swells. Papules are formed on it, which in a short period of time pass into vesicles filled with a liquid substance. When they open, the area of the skin with inflammation is covered by erosion. During healing, crusts form on the wounds. And at the end of the allergic process, the ear begins to peel off. During all this time, a person feels severe itching.
If the interaction with the allergen is not completely stopped, then dermatitis can turn into a chronic form. With it, the inflammatory process is not localized in a certain place, but grows to those areas that have not been in contact with the substance. The symptomatology of the chronic course of the disease is identical to acute.
For the treatment of allergic contact dermatitis, a corticosteroid ointment is prescribed. Antihistamines can help with skin itching. These include:
- "Desloratadine";
- Loratadine
- "Cetirizine" and others.
Atopic and seborrheic dermatitis
Itching is a symptom of other types of dermatitis. We are talking about seborrheic and atopic. The cause of the latter is allergy. But seborrheic dermatitis causes the fungus Malassezia furfur. Both of these diseases differ not only in the causes, but also in the symptoms. However, in the first and in the second case, people itch strongly behind their ears. In addition to this symptom, seborrheic dermatitis is manifested by thickening of the skin in the affected areas, the formation of scales. Most often, inflammation appears behind the auricle. At risk are those people who have greatly weakened immunity. The fungus, multiplying, first affects the sebaceous glands. After spreading to the surrounding surface. Antifungal medications are used as treatment.
As for atopic dermatitis, red ears and dry skin will indicate it. The most common cause of this disease is food allergy. However, the reaction may also occur after contact with other substances or an insect bite. First, the inflamed part of the auricle swells a little, the skin turns red, it becomes quite dry. Given that this process is accompanied by constant itching, when combing, acne breaks behind the ear, the skin becomes wet, the affected areas are covered with crusts. If treatment is not started in time, then ulcers form in these areas. For therapy are used:
- ointments with anti-inflammatory effect;
- antihistamines to relieve symptoms;
- sedatives to make you feel better.
Boil of the external auditory meatus, ear mite, tonsillitis
Most people will be surprised to learn that the symptoms of a sore throat are not only a sore throat, fever, but also an itchy ear from the outside. Moreover, the sensations can be so strong that sometimes it becomes simply unbearable. If the itching is caused by angina, then special treatment is not used. The symptom will pass on its own after recovery.
An ear mite can also cause severe itching. These parasites can provoke dangerous complications (for example, allergies), therefore, even with the slightest suspicion, you must immediately go to the hospital. The subcutaneous tick (demodex) lives in the sebaceous glands. It is the main cause of acne on the face and acne behind the ear.
The boil of the external auditory canal is a disease in which a person develops an unbearable itch. After some time, severe pain is added to this symptom. Its intensity increases with chewing and pressing on the tragus.
Infectious otitis externa
Why is the ear itching outside? There are many reasons for this. One of them is a disease such as infectious otitis externa. It manifests itself in the form of a purulent-inflammatory process. Pathology captures not only the skin, but also bone and cartilage. The cause of external otitis media is pyogenic staphylococcus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In places of injuries or other injuries, the pathogen penetrates the skin. The disease proceeds in two forms: chronic and acute. In the first and second cases, the symptoms are the same: itching, hearing loss, congestion, purulent discharge. But there are differences between the forms of otitis externa. It consists in the timing. For example, in the chronic stage, the duration of the development of the inflammatory process can reach one month.
As treatment, antihistamines and multivitamin preparations, antibiotics are used. And for local therapy, hormonal and antibacterial ointments, ear drops are suitable.
External otomycosis
If it itches strongly behind the ears, then this may indicate a fungal infection. A disease such as external otomycosis develops very slowly. As a rule, the skin is not mutated. In the beginning, a person feels only mild itching. With an increase in its intensity, the ear is constantly itching. Combing leads to damage to the skin. And these are favorable conditions for seeding with fungi Penicillium, Candida, Aspergillus. With the development of the disease, in addition to itching, a burning sensation and a foreign body sensation also appear. The auricle becomes quite sensitive. Pain spasm is very strong. It intensifies during chewing, swallowing, yawning. Most often, with pathology, the skin of the outer ear is affected. If a person is ill with diabetes mellitus or leukemia, then the lesion can extend to the middle ear.
What causes external otomycosis? Main reasons:
- Improper hygiene.
- Inflammatory processes.
- Damage to the skin.
- Long-term use of antibacterial drugs.
This disease is well treatable. The appointment of drugs is carried out individually. In complex cases, combination therapy can be used.
Psoriasis
This disease manifests itself in the form of plaques. They form on the skin of any part of the body, including the ears. The spots themselves are red. Top they are covered with white scales. Scientists have not yet determined the exact causes that can cause the development of psoriasis. However, it is known that provoking factors are severe stress, metabolic disorders and immunological malfunctions. The disease has three stages:
- The first is progressive. It is accompanied by the appearance of new rashes. The earlobes and other damaged areas are very itchy.
- The second is stationary. New plaques do not appear. Healing of the old occurs.
- The third is regressive. The appearance of pseudoatrophic rims. Healthy skin is visible in the center of the inflamed spots.
Signs of psoriasis:
- Convex plaques of red color.
- Affected areas itch.
- Nails are deformed.
- Dead cells fall away, so the ear and other parts of the body are flaky.
- The appearance of blisters and cracks.
Treatment is carried out only under the supervision of a physician. As a rule, complex therapy is prescribed, which includes ointments, special procedures and compliance with the regimen. When choosing certain drugs, doctors take into account the degree and stage of the disease, state of health, age, gender of the patient.
Eczema
Another disease, due to which not only the skin behind the ears crack, but also ulcers form. The pathology is chronic, can be exacerbated. The duration of relapse varies from several hours to 2-3 days. Localization places - on the head, shoulders, palms, neck, behind the ears. Symptoms of eczema:
- Swelling of the affected areas.
- Redness of the skin.
- The formation of bubbles.
- Itching
The disease proceeds in three forms: chronic, acute and subacute. The choice of drugs depends on the degree of damage, the form and nature of the course. Given that eczema is allergic in nature, the first thing to do is identify the substance that causes irritation. After the termination of contact with him, medication is prescribed.
Other reasons
Is itching your ears outside? What causes this symptom? The diseases in which a person feels itching have already been described above. But these are not all the reasons. There are other irritants. These include:
- Cosmetical tools. Even when washing your hair with shampoo, itching may appear outside the auricle. In order to get rid of it, just change the cosmetics.
- Diseases of the liver, gall bladder, diabetes can cause this symptom.
- Hormonal disorders.
- Diathesis is manifested not only by red ears, but also by severe itching.
- Improper nutrition.
- Poisoning.
- Allergy to a certain group of food products.
- Weather.
Itching without other symptoms
Itching of the auricle does not always indicate some kind of disease. This symptom may be the only one, but otherwise the person feels very well. Why, then, earlobes and shell itch?
- Drying of the skin. It occurs in people with a genetic predisposition.
- Use of aggressive cleaning agents during hygiene procedures.
- Wearing earrings. Itching can occur even if the person is not allergic to metals. Most often it is localized at the puncture site. In order to get rid of this, earrings should be treated with alcohol before wearing.
- Neuralgic disorders. Often during a nervous breakdown in a person, the ear begins to itch.
How to cure
If ears itch, treatment should be prescribed after finding out the reasons. Only in this case will it be effective. It has already been briefly described above which drugs are used to improve well-being and reduce the intensity of itching.
If this occurs, it is better to consult a doctor in order to exclude the possibility of developing serious diseases. However, if this is impossible for some reason, and the itch is no longer able to endure, then you can try to ease your health on your own:
- Take a sedative or antihistamine.
- Wipe the ear with boric alcohol.
- Treat the affected area with ointment from itching of the skin. For these purposes, “Telfast”, “Trexil”, “Panthenol”, “Fenistil”, “Advantan”, “Levomekol”, etc. are suitable.
- Be sure to review the daily diet.
- Sip on digestive aids.
Conclusion
From the material presented in the article, it can be seen that even such a seemingly symptom as an itch outside the ear cannot be ignored. Of course, this does not mean the presence of serious diseases, but it is better to play safe and seek qualified help. Having done a comprehensive examination and making sure that there are no complications, you can throw all your strength into eliminating discomfort. Most often, local therapy (ointments) is used for this. If itching became an allergy reaction to some substance, then special preparations should be drunk. This will help get rid of discomfort.