Allergy/Eczema in Ears leaking clear fluid

[melamommy]

I've had eczema in my ears for 15 yrs. It is very cyclical, starting w/intense uncontrollable itching, then clear fluid leaking from skin, followed by crusting over & flaking of skin in ears that is itchy in & of itself, leading to more scratching & picking at ears. The skin in my ears gets very damaged and ratty during outbreaks. I also have swelling of the ear canal after these itch/scratch episodes that are sometimes quite painful, & Motrin helps that.  ENT Dr. prescribed steriod cream. Yes, it clears it up & I follow through w/recommended application after rash dissappears, but as SOON as I stop applying cream, rash returns just as intense. I don't use steriod creams anymore because it's not a CURE & I'm not crazy about putting steriods in my head everyday. I know eczema is really an allergy & will never disappear until allergen is removed. My next step is to see an allergist to find out what could be triggering this.  I read that a nickel allergy can create eczema around ears from wearking earrings (most are made of nickel).  But I'm more concerned now because I'm noticing more leaking of the clear fluid.  Does anyone else experience this clear fluid leaking?  What is it?  Lymph fluid trying to heal the area? CSF leaking, in my case maybe from trauma to the ear canal from the severe scratching episodes I go through?

[djlex]

Looking for a solution to a malady that seems to befuddle the best minds the VA Hospital doctors have to offer, brought me to this site. I first came across it about a three months ago and read every posting at that time. Long story short I have suffered from the same symptoms all of you have for about three years. Swollen ear canals, crusty scabs, peeling skin and a clear sticky fluid flowing from the ear that just won’t heal. I am in my late fifties and never have had allergies of any kind or immune system issues. Really haven’t been sick much as a matter of fact. This curse just appeared one day and just never went away.

When I first brought it to the attention of the VA doctors they just hoohaa’ed and said it was just “some irritation” that has scabbed because you picked at it. I explained that even if I don’t touch it, it will scab, fall off and then rescab over and over. Over time it spread throughout the ear canal (left ear) and even moved out to my outer ear. Huge pieces of skin would just peel off and leave raw skin to seep crusty crust. It was pretty gross. Over the course of the next year I began to collect the skin and scabs that came from my ear and one day I took a pile of it (I weighed it and it was a full 3 grams of skin and scabs – a pile about an inch high and four inches in diameter) to the VA hospital and asked them “now do you believe me this is no simple “irritation”.”

The VA doctors and ENT specialists gave me antibiotics, steroids, fungicides, anti-bacterials, anti-microbials, anti-God knows what in shots, pills, topicals and Clotrimazole Betamethasone Dipropionate cream, Cetaphil, Ectosone, Sofradex, Aquaphor and Zymox. I have otherwise tried on my own hydrogen peroxide, salt, apple vinegar, white vinegar, Epsom Salt, aloe vera, Vitamin E, Neosporin, Bacitraycin Plus, Blistex. Fluocinonide, Cortizone-10, Gold Bond Intensive Healing cream, Povidene-iodine, Gentian violet, fresh garlic, onions, olive oil, tea tree oil, a number of “baby rash products”, some Chinese medicine “miracle herbal cures” and probably some other things I can’t remember. Nothing worked. Some things started out looking promising but they ended up just putting this curse on pause. In a matter of days it would return, sometimes worse than before trying one of these cures. Some of the attempted cures, like Neosporin, actually made the ear canal more sensitive, swollen and painful.

Last Saturday a miracle occurred. I have a dog, she’s a Shar pei-Lab mix that weighs in at about a hundred pounds. At the beginning of Summer, I always begin treating her with Revolution between the shoulder blades for fleas and ticks. During pollen season and early Summer she seems to have regular outbreaks of “hotspots” and other similar skin maladies. Coincidentally enough, vets don’t know what causes hotspots either. If the skin has “hotspots” (which are basically skin that scabs, crusts and peels leaving raw weeping wounds (sound familiar) and they can’t attribute it to mange or some other type of mite or fungus, vets usually attribute it to allergies (sound familiar).

Well last year, I ordered a new product (well new to me anyway, I don’t know how long it has been on the market) and began applying it to Lady (my dog) skin issues whenever she has a skin eruption. The product stated it was “steroid-free, antibiotic-free and non-toxic.” ”This easy to apply, safe product makes caring for your dog’s wounds easy while rewarding them with the quality care they deserve.” It claimed to work on

• Cleaning and Debriding wounds
• Hot spots
• Scratches
• Skin Rashes
• Skin Ulcers
• Cuts
• Burns
• Post-Surgical sites
• Irritated skin
• Cleaning the Umbilical & Navel
• Sores
• Lacerations

It was even recommended by Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer). Well, let me tell you, it works GREAT! I have tried dozens of other products on my pets over the years and this stuff works like none other I have ever used before. Quickly healing any kind of skin issues my dear dog and cats suffer from. When I had my Lady “fixed” the surgical wound healed in a third of the time the vet said to expect and with zero trace of a scar. Amazing stuff.

So last Saturday, I had an epiphany. If this stuff works so well on my dog and cats maybe it will work on me. Hell, I had tried everything else known to modern medicine and then some. Steroid-free, antibiotic-free and non-toxic what could it possibly hurt to try. So I squirted a little on my finger and applied it into the ear canal. OMG!! Ten days later my ear is clear. For the first time in three years I have no pain, no weeping, no “mushiness”, improved hearing and the last scab/piece of skin fell out my ear three days ago. The ear canal is clear, pristine and smooth to the touch for the first time in years.

At this point I am crossing my fingers that it lasts. I just may have stumbled across a fix for something I had about accepted as being incurable. At this point I am sure you are like, “well what the heck is this stuff!” The product is called Vetericyn VF Wound and Infection Care. The “VF” designates it as the veterinarian formula (which is their extra strength offering). It comes in a liquid and in a hydrogel. You can buy it on Amazon for about $35 a 16 oz. spray bottle. I recommend the hydrogel because it “sticks” to the wound and doesn’t run off like the liquid. I am crossing my fingers that this cure stays cured; but, at this point it is looking more promising than anything I have tried. I will let you know in a couple of weeks if it has succeeded and continued to clear up my ear. I am so excited I am beside myself.

P.S. if you do have a horse, dog or cat this stuff works miracles in treating abrasions, rashes, wounds, hotpots and other skin issues.

[kitkase]

I may try this for my ear mostly because my poor Sheltie mix has skin issues that multiple vet recommended products haven't helped with yet. Thank you.

[Halcal]

Hi, I have had the same issues for about 10 years now. I have tried several things to clear it up with no luck. Someone recently put me on to using tea tree oil. It is the ONLY thing I have tried that actually takes the itch out. The scaliness is still there although it seems to be getting better slowly. This is week two using it. I will warn you though the first few applications will burn like crazy for about 20 minutes then it will subside. The burning decreases with each application... I hope this means it's getting better! I just put it on a cotton swab to apply it. Honestly if you are in the same boat as me and would do just about anything to stop the itching try this it stops the itching completely.

[dizaman]

I have had severe itching, and leakage in my ears for 30 years.  I went to ENT and he diagnosed eczema in the ears.  I was relieved there was a name for this, thought I was the only one in the world with itchy ears.  My ENT prescribed FLUOCINOLONE ACETONIDE OIL.  It is a prescription.  When my ears itch, I put a few drops of this oil in, and the itching stops almost immediately.  I seem to subconsciously scratch my ears while sleeping and wake up with swollen, painful ears.  If I put these drops in before I go to sleep, I do not itch my ears while sleeping.  I have a wonderful ENT doctor and this oil is the best thing I have ever had.

[Kimreneegrande]

I have tubes in both of my ears. I have that same itching, draining, crusty cycle with my ears. I went to a new ENT dr and he said the tubes that in have are no longer being used because if the allergies they cause. He gave me steroid eye drops to use in my ears. Ear drops would get in the tube and burn really bad, so he uses ear drops that have a lower ph in them. It may be that I will have to have the tubes taken out to stop the reaction.

[boyoyo]

I dont think everyone here actually has the same problem. I actually found a cure, and I have had this problem for decades. And it has worked twice (I subsequently relised I must have reinfected it the first time after being clear for six months).

Basically, I have the eczema a lot of you have this isn't curable, but the crusty weeping part was due to a bacterial infection. Sadly I can't now recall the bacteria but it was described to me as typical of chronic, ie long term infection. Anyway two weeks on Ciproxin antibiotics and it is gone again and no sign of return. It's a very strong antibiotic and made me feel bad while on it but it worked. I still have the mild itch and flaking of eczema but no more goo and blockage and argh. Definitely check it out as a possibility.

[RachAGM]

I use the Ciproxin drops and tehy work for a week and then the infewction comes back, my ears are itchy, leaking, scabbing and alot of the time have an odour coming from them which is awful. Tried every drop, tablet, eczema cream there is. have had this for 4 years now and the doctor are baffled. So please if anyone has any info to help please let me know

[RachAGM]

I use the Ciproxin drops and tehy work for a week and then the infewction comes back, my ears are itchy, leaking, scabbing and alot of the time have an odour coming from them which is awful. Tried every drop, tablet, eczema cream there is. have had this for 4 years now and the doctor are baffled. So please if anyone has any info to help please let me know

[hkramb1]

I use eye pins to clean out my ears several times a day.  I too was going to the ENT every 3 weeks because the inner ear would get so clogged I couldn't even hear.  I make jewelry and one day I was itching so bad that I took an eye pin (small wire with a bent circle on the end) and bent it ever so slightly, stuck it in my ear and scraped out all of the gook.  No more clean outs, have to be very careful with them, but even when I told my ENT what I was doing he said "gotta do what you gotta do".  So I clean out my ears every morning and evening and apply whatever I have on hand, cortisone, anti-fungals, zinc, itch really never goes away.  I've just ordered several things I saw on this forum and will try those.  But at least the eye pins keep me from needing the professional cleanouts.  You can buy them online or at any craft store that has jewelry supplies.