Splash Safely: Why Your Skin and Ears Might Throw a Summer Tantrum

Have you ever gotten home with a strange rash or a painful ear? If so, then you have had the unfortunate experience of meeting the two most common unwanted visitors of summer, which are Swimmer’s Itch and Swimmer’s Ear. Although these sound as though they should be related, they are completely different biological scenarios.

Swimmer’s Itch: The Case of the Lost Parasite.

Cercarial dermatitis, commonly referred to as swimmer’s itch, is basically a parasitic infection by mistake. The larval flatworms, which live in aquatic snails and are looking for birds and small mammals to colonize, come out of the water.

The problem occurs when you are swimming in the path of those larvae since they mistakenly enter your body. The fact that people are not the right hosts makes these larvae die immediately, but your immune system doesn’t know that yet.

Imagine your immune system as an overprotective security guard. Despite the fact that the “invasion” is finished, the guard still keeps raising alarms and closing doors, causing your red, itchy, raised pimples.

According to scientific research, such outbreaks are quite dangerous all over Canada, as cases have been observed in almost all Canadian provinces. For example, there was a five-year study conducted in Alberta where thousands of cases were registered in July and August – the hottest months of the year.

Takeaway: Swimmer’s itch is just an allergic reaction to water parasites; therefore, it is not an infection.

Swimmer’s Ear: The Watery Canal Blockade.

Whereas the “itch” remains on your skin, Swimmer’s Ear (also referred to as otitis externa) occurs near your outer ear canal. Swimmer’s Ear is caused by bacteria and not parasites; however, these organisms flourish when there is excessive moisture inside your ear.

Generally, our ears are equipped with a defence mechanism against infections, which involves the production of earwax. This substance, which is hydrophobic and has an acidic nature, forms a barrier preventing bacteria and fungi from entering our ears.

The process of contracting Swimmer’s Ear happens when we stay inside the water for too long, or when we clean our ears using cotton swabs, and hence traumatize the skin barrier or earwax and allow the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria to invade the area.

Within 48 hours, symptoms begin to show, such as pain in the ear, a feeling of fullness, and discharge from the ear, which is usually yellowish. The main symptom of having Swimmer’s Ear is when it hurts a lot whenever you pull your outer ear or the flap of the ear canal.

Takeaway: Swimmer’s Ear is a bacterial infection of the ear canal often caused by trapped moisture or minor trauma to the skin.

Defensive Maneuvers for the Modern Swimmer.

However, prevention may be easier than treatment when it comes to these diseases. With Swimmer’s Itch, it is especially hard to stop the process, as a single infected snail may produce thousands of larvae in the water.

Even if there are some who believe that towel-drying is a key solution, in fact, the best thing one can do is to know the area. Should a person have the misfortune to swim in the area where there is already an outbreak or high concentrations of birds and snails, he will surely get a good case of Swimmer’s Itch from the shallow and weedy places of the lake.

Regarding ears, the best solution is “keeping them dry” with well-fitted earplugs or swim caps.

After the swimming session, a person should slightly tilt their head in order to allow all water to drain. One can even use a hair dryer set on the coolest setting.

Takeaway: Protecting your summer fun means keeping your ears dry and staying alert to local water conditions and warnings.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for personalized medical guidance.