Help for Sore, Irritated, Infected Ears/Ear Canals

By Curtis Dickinson

Editor: You've probably read some of Curtis' thoughts here in the past, and I bet you've been impressed with what he has to say. His latest article (below) discusses how to cure and prevent ear canal soreness and irritation due to the use of hearing aids. I'm betting that a lot of you will be emailing Curtis to thank him for this pain-relieving article! You can contact him at Hearmeco@earthlink.net, or visit his website at:
http://www.hearing-loss-help-co.com

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Do your ears tend to get sore or irritated? Is it then painful to insert the earmolds? It happens to me. Because of my need for tight earmolds to offset whistling from my powerful BTE hearing aids and my tendency to sleep with my hearing aids in the ear, they do get sore at times. And if I continue to insert earmolds in the ears before the soreness goes away, they'll become infected and the pain can rise to excruciating levels.

But I need to wear my hearing aids. I cannot go 5 - 6 days without hearing aids to let the ears heal. (Out of desperation though, I have worn just one hearing aid until the other ear heals, and then switch the process to let the other ear heal. It's crazy.)

The soft molds, like I have, tend to stick to the skin making insertion a game of twist, wiggle and push. So I always use a lubricant to insert the molds. Usually I use OtoEase or Otoslik, two brand name lubricants for earmolds. Other people I know use varieties of lubrication, or even their own saliva. All are good for helping slip earmolds into the ears. Lubrication also acts as a seal to prevent whistling. This does not prevent pain when inserting molds into sore ears but it does lessen the pain. All you can do is grin and bear it. More bearing it than grinning though!

Relief and healing is possible using a cortisone-based cream. This can also ease insertion. One brand name, Audiologists Choice works. It's a cortisone based cream. Or any cortisone based cream found in pharmacy shelves ought to help the healing process. Stronger cortisone based cream can be obtained from a doctor. The stuff really works! (Or even a simple First Aid cream helps). It can take days for the soreness to go away but the immediate overnight effect is good. Cortisone based creams are an expensive steroid which can build immunity too and perhaps have other problems come about. I've always been reluctant to use it until the pain was really bad. It's a catch-22 situation.

In the last year the eczema gene that I inherited from my mom decided to make itself known around my ears. This has exacerbated the problem of sore ears. And now my ears get sore more often.

Recently out of desperation, I tried a product that I sell but never really tested for sore ears. As a lubricant it worked as well as any other good lubricant. But because it was more expensive I left it alone. Not anymore do I leave it alone though. It's called Miracell.

It acted as a healing agent too. Really quick. I was impressed. Before I went to bed I literally washed my ears with this Miracell. Inside and out. And behind the ears. I was that desperate. The emollient was silky, not greasy and the relief from itching was fast. The skin seemed to soak it up leaving nothing to drip or hang around. It seemed a natural oil for the skin. The next morning the skin on my ears was moist and supple and the pain had diminished along with the eczema scales. And my ears did not feel greasy or coated with anything. Just a nice feel to the skin. So I put a bit of Miracell on each earmold before inserting them into my ears for the day. Real nice feeling. And now I use it daily instead of the earmold lubricant I normally use. Before I go to bed but after removing my hearing aids, I wash my ears again, in Miracell. Why not? It has healing properties along with lubrication properties.

Unlike the cortisone-based cream, this is made up of herbs and vitamins and similar organic ingredients. (So says the report. I'm not an expert on this stuff. But I like what I've read about it. I like how it feels and I enjoy its mild fragrance.) It is relatively greaseless, keeps the skin soft and promotes healing. It has a pleasing scent, not medicinal and not perfumed, just, well, a natural solid scent.

Miracell lists its ingredients as Apricot kernel oil, sesame oil, caprylic/capric triglyceride, avocado oil, squalane, jojoba oil, camellia kissi oil, aloe vera oil, vitamin E, Lecithin, vitamin A (retinylpamitate), vitaminD3, propylparaben, and myrrh.

So if .you just need a lubricant to insert your earmolds and don't want to pay a lot use any greaseless lubricant (Not alcohol based). If your ears become sore, or irritated from earmolds, try Miracell as both a lubricant and health promoter. I bet you'll use it from then on. Also, occasionally boil the molds in salt water to remove grime, oil and kill germs that may be on them.

You can read about it from the manufacturer and purchase it at www.miracell.com.