If your kids are anything like mine, you already know what’s at the top of their holiday wish list: earbuds. Always earbuds. They lose them, they borrow yours, they swear they didn’t drop theirs in the carpool lane, and then they ask for a new pair by December. So if the AirPods (or whatever brand your household cycles through) are coming this season, here’s the curveball no one warned us about: “AirPod Ear.” And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.
Local urgent cares are seeing more cases of something called otitis externa, an external ear canal infection that used to be better known as “Swimmer’s Ear.” Kids didn’t need a swim lesson to get it anymore. They just needed … well … constant earbuds. And when I say constant, I mean the “they take them out only to shower and even then you’re not totally sure” kind of constant.
I always thought “Swimmer’s Ear” was just a summer thing. But what providers are seeing now is a whole new wave of infections driven by our kids wearing in-ear headphones for hours a day. This isn’t the middle-ear infection most of us survived during toddlerhood. This is a skin infection in the ear canal itself and it can be extremely painful.
How did I learn about this? Sitting down with Scott Brown, the regional vice president of Next Level Medical. We were talking ear infections {think the kind that comes along with a fever} when he brought up “Swimmers Ear” and said this next: “I honestly think we need to change the name from ‘Swimmer’s Ear’ to ‘AirPod Ear.’ We’re seeing more and more external ear infections in kids who wear their AirPods almost around the clock.”
The way I gagged. And gasped. And guffawed.
Then Scott explained it. Basically, when earbuds sit in the ear all day, they trap moisture {from showers, sweat, humidity, even the remnants of hair products} and that warm, enclosed environment irritates the skin. Once the skin is broken down even a little, bacteria get a free pass.
The early signs? Redness, swelling, itching, and pain that gets worse when the ear is touched or gently tugged. That’s actually the big difference between this and a middle-ear infection: kids with “AirPod Ear” often can’t handle even the slightest touch on the outside of their ear.
Middle-ear infections happen behind the eardrum and often come with cold symptoms. “AirPod Ear” happens entirely in the canal, doesn’t require a cold, and can show up seemingly out of nowhere. And unlike the pressure-based pain of a middle-ear infection, this one hurts because the canal itself is inflamed.
The good news: it’s treatable. Prescription antibiotic ear drops take care of most cases. And in more severe situations when swelling blocks the drops from reaching the whole canal providers may insert a soft little wick to help the medication travel where it needs to go. Not fun, but effective.
If you’re buying earbuds this season {or replacing the pair that got “lost” two days after Thanksgiving} here are some things to keep in mind:
- Keep the earbuds clean. Sweat, lotion, sunscreen, makeup … all of it can irritate the skin and all of it eventually ends up on those earbuds.
- Make sure the ears are dry after showers. A quick towel, a little tilt to each side, and waiting 15 to 30 minutes before inserting earbuds makes a big difference.
- Check how they fit. Poorly fitted earbuds rub and cause micro-abrasions that open the door for infection.
- And, yes, give the ears a break. Even an hour or two without something plugging the canal can help.
At the end of the day, you don’t need to ban earbuds. You don’t even need to add “sanitize AirPods daily” to your already ridiculous December mental load. But a little awareness goes a long way. The problem isn’t the technology. It’s the nonstop, all-day use. So give yourself a heads up before you wrap that shiny new pair for the holidays. And maybe tell your kids the doctor said their ears deserve a tiny vacation too.
