Introduction
A boil in the ear is an inflammation of a hair in the ear, more precisely in the external auditory canal. This leads to the formation of a small pus-filled nodule around the hair, which can lead to sometimes severe pain. A boil in the ear always leads to pain, which usually projects diffusely onto the ear and is not necessarily only due to the inflamed hair.
The pain is usually very strong and has a throbbing or even stabbing character. If one pulls on the ear, this can lead to an increase in pain, depending on where the furuncle is located. Sleeping on the side can also be painful for some patients, as the changed sleeping position may cause the ear to be slightly displaced, thus exerting pressure on the boil.
But not only the pressure on the ear is felt as unpleasant. Chewing or speaking can also cause pain, as the movement of the jaw inevitably causes the external auditory canal to shift slightly. These small displacements can cause the patient to feel pain. In addition to the pain, there may also be swelling in the area of the external auditory canal. If the patient could look into his ear, he would see a kind of pus-filled pimple, around which a sometimes severe redness appears.
Causes of a furuncle in the ear
A boil in the ear is always due to an inflammation. It is an inflammation that affects the hair follicle, i.e. the structure of the hair that is located in the skin. It is important that it does not have to be a particularly large hair, a small hair is sufficient, which would hardly be visible without inflammation.
The inflammation, which then leads to the ear boil, is usually caused by staphylococci. An infection can be caused by a patient trying to remove the hair in the outer ear or by the patient trying to clean the ear and carrying germs into the ear. Bacteria can also be carried into the ear via earplugs, which are used when listening to music, or via Oropax and cause a boil in the ear.
However, the most advisable thing is to “clean” the external auditory canal with cotton swabs. On the one hand, the eardrum and, in the worst case, the organ of equilibrium can be damaged, and on the other hand, bacteria such as staphylococci can be introduced, which can then cause a painful boil in the ear. But it is not only the mechanical irritation that can cause the ear problems.
Frequent swimming in chlorinated water or frequent cleaning with washing gel can also lead to the ear no longer having sufficient self-protection to ward off possible germs. This promotes an inflammation, for example with the staphylococcus bacterium, which in turn can lead to a boil in the ear. In some cases, chronic diseases can also lead to a boil in the ear. Especially in diabetes mellitus patients, i.e. patients with the so-called diabetes, such furuncles can occur again and again (recurrently). Neurodermatitis, immune deficiencies or psoriasis can also lead to a furuncle in the ear, since the skin can be severely damaged by these diseases and thus cannot adequately fulfill its protective function in sensitive areas such as the external auditory canal.
