Endlessly itchy wet ears

[SimplyMe2007]

Since I was a child I have had ear problems but over the past few years I have had increasingly maddening ear problems.  I have used drops and anti biotics.  I sense relief then the symptoms return.  Most days I can hear but am constantly aware that my ears are itchy.  The challenge is to not itch.  If I itch, I usually get flaky stuff that I literally can lift off my inner ear.If I itch too much it becomes wet and begins draining a wet clear fluid.  Then at night, whatever side I lay on clogs shut.  In the morning there is thick crusty crud that again I try not to pick at.  Im obviously in continual circle of symptoms here.  Dr's seem to think I cause this problem by itching which causes infection which causes itchiness. HELP please?  I am open to homeopathic suggestions as mainstream medicine just seems to temporarily relieve the symptoms and not cure the cause.  Thanks in advance

[jae_jae87]

I have this crusty stuff on both outer ears and it has this clear fluid coming out .. plus it itches. im scared. what is it?

[ScottLoar]

Some of the people here are confusing bacterial and fungal infections with eczema of the ears. These are three separate matters. Bacterial infections are cured with anti-bacterial medications; fungal infections (which are plants) are cured with anti-fungal medications or sometimes acetic acid (like vinegar; one of my fungal treatments was 5% acetic acid in solution which is stronger than common vinegar). Home remedies for severe cases of either bacterial or fungal infections will not work: you need a specialist to identify the infections then apply specifics against those infections.

Ecezma of the ears is the sloughing of dead cells in the ear canal and the inability of the ear to produce wax, or enough wax which is the natural lubricant of the ear which prevents the problem.

[ScottLoar]

I've had severe bacterial and fungal infections of both ears.  After a hospital stay to cure the bacterial infection under controlled circumstances, then treatments curing the fungal infections, I had surgery on both ears to widen the ear canal. Still I have wet ear canals, the wet literally seeping out of both ears even as I write this. This doctor (I've seen three doctors over the course of four years) is sure the current problem is eczema of the ears, but how to control or cure it?

[lizzygina]

I just came through a nasty bout of horribly itchy ears.  If felt like I needed to fit a brush in there and scratch!  Then they started to have a burning itch, felt swollen and began seeping.  When I would lie down, I could feel drainage of some sort draining out.  The drainage dried then became flaky and crusted.  The more I picked at it, the more it drained and the more it itched.  I was desperate for help.  I thought it reminded me exactly like a yeast infection.  But yeast in my ears!  Never heard of that one.  I knew vinegar water worked great for other yeast infections (since vinegar kills funguses etc.)  so I decided it was worth a try.  I filled a small container with half vinegar, half water.  I splashed this water up and around my ears, then soaked a Q tip swab in it and used inside my ears.  I did this several times a day and till evening I could tell a marked improvment.  Till the next day, the itching was almost gone.  YEAH!  Thank God.  It was about to drive me crazy.  It has been several days since and I still do the vinegar once or twice a day and the itch is gone.  There is no drainage.  

That was a very cheap solution and no doctor bill.  Live and learn

[lmtooclay]

Thanks so much everyone for the great info. I have all this wet ear stuff too and also have the same thing on my scalp. It wet smelly and clear fluid around my hair line and on my scalp. It scabs over white like my ears and also doesn't go away. Dr. say its eczema but they said it was eczema in my ear too. Anyone else have this problem too.

[dna4ears]

I have had the itchy, wet ears for YEARS. Nothing works...doctors say my ears "look ok."  Two years ago our son gave us a "membership" to 23andme, a ?DNA website.  We sent the samples in and got our DNA results back in a couple of weeks.   I was shocked to see "Wet Ear" among the list of medical similiarities to others with my DNA.  Never heard of "Wet Ear: but here it was on my DNA.  ??????????Don't know what to say here except that it may be in our physical makeup from birth and before.  I am sure some day there will be more of an explanation but here is an angle I have not seen on your posts.  Check it out..maybe it is heredity.  Strange.