In everyday life, people often say that their ears itch. Of course, occasional ear itching does not necessarily mean that something is wrong. But some people itch their outer ear canal so badly that it even interferes with their sleep. There is a large amount of earwax in the external ear canal, sometimes dry, sometimes wet discharge. So involuntarily, they start to pull out their ears with various instruments, and the result gets worse and worse. This is a possibility of having otitis externa! It needs to be treated. Normal external ear canal and earwax Normal earwax is medically known as cerumen, an oily substance secreted by the cerumen glands in the skin of the external ear canal, which has a protective effect on the external ear canal. In most Asians, cerumen is a dry flake that slowly falls out as we chew. There is no need to dig into the ear. Of course there are some people who have oily black cerumen that cannot fall out. It will require a doctor to do external ear canal cerumen softening and rinsing. Ear picking is a killer of the health of the external ear canal Many people are obsessed with pinching their feet and picking their ears, and every time they do so they think they are enjoying it! Unbeknownst to them, many ear picking tools have been contaminated with “foot fungus” (foot fungus). This can lead to fungal otitis externa when the fungus enters the closed environment of the external ear canal, combined with humidity and damage to the cerumen glands of the external ear canal. This eventually leads to a stubborn fungal infection of the external ear canal! How can it be prevented and treated? Curing is never as effective and economical as preventing. Prevention 1. Keep the external ear canal dry and dip the water in the external ear canal with a cotton swab after bathing (not digging). 2.Don’t go for ear picking, it reduces enjoyment but it is worth it. 3. Do not apply antibiotic ear drops without permission. Treatment 1. A doctor is needed to clean the outer ear canal itself. 2.Keep an acidic environment in the outer ear canal. 3.Antifungal ear drops for the outer ear canal are needed if necessary, and antibiotic ear drops are also needed if there is a mixed bacterial infection.