What the hell is wrong with my ear?!

[hereismydog]

For about 8 months I’ve had a very itchy left ear canal (all day, every day!)

It builds up a load of dry skin which usually comes out in one piece, then feels wet and itchy. Rinse and repeat. I apply a thin layer of Canesten HC with a cotton bud which seems to help temporarily, then it’s back to intense itching to the point it wakes me up at night feeling like something is crawling inside my ear.

I’ve spoken to a pharmacist about it and her advice was to use Canesten HC. Have recently had an ENT appointment for something else, he had a look in my ears and didn’t mention anything unusual (although I forgot to tell him about the ear problem as I was focused on what I was actually seeing him for!)

I don’t want to take a GP appointment for an itchy ear if I can help it, but it’s driving me batshit! TIA 👂🏼

It sounds more like eczema if it’s wet

I get this but in my right ear, so you have my sympathy and I can totally empathise with how irritating it is - I've been told that it's because I'm using a cotton bud (but I admit, I do use a cotton bud to actually "itch" the itch when it gets too much to bear, so I've caught myself in a vicious cycle.
My doctor said that basically my ears don't have enough ear wax so my ear canal dries and that causes the itch.

Itchy ears are a perimenopause thing too

I’m 30 years old and 5 months pregnant, so I don’t think it’s that

I think you’re correct re eczema, although I don’t have it anywhere else!

Congratulations on being pregnant!

I get this too. I get quite waxy ears.

Have you tried a sodium bicarbonate (think that's what it is?) spray in the ears?

It fizzes (and is totally satisfying!) but for me it gets deep down where the wax is and gets out the dried lumps that accumulate!

Otitis externa?

https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/ears-nose-and-throat/otitis-externa/

Since you have tried what the pharmacist suggested and it hasn't cleared up, I'd ask GP to suggest something else.

Frigging hell I didn't know this! My right ear has been driving me batshit for the last 6 months! Jesus is there anything that peri doesn't cause?

Do you wear earphones? DD developed itchy ear canals - turns out she’s allergic to AirPods🤣

I have this. I've had flaky skin in my ears for years. For me, it's dermatitis in my ears and the itching in my ear canal can be really irritating sometimes. A GP once told me that I need to get used to putting olive oil in my ear regularly, which makes sense, so I do. You can get little olive oil sprays from Boots.
Occasionally it flares up with an infection and Otomize sorts it (but you have to get a prescription for it).

I have exactly the same thing. It was keeping me awake at night the itching was so bad! I tried olive oil, earol, Otomize. GP prescribed me gentamycin hc and that was the only thing that worked. It comes back every so often which is annoying, but I just use a few drops until it goes. Suppose I'll have to go back to the GP when I run out. Mine is likely perimenopause though 🙄

Yes, I'm afraid I've had it, exactly as you describe for about 10 years... 😵‍💫🫣

10 years?! 😫😫

Ha! Yes! I just live alongside it now, like one of my 'things' 🤣

I was going to suggest Otimize (although I see it didn't work for @IOweMySanityToBasilParsley )

I had the same issue and my GP referred me to ENT - I had gone completely deaf in one ear and apparently it was the build up of dead skin on my ear drum. The consultant recommended I use Earcalm (outer ears only) which does work on the itchiness but can't use it for more than a few days at a time and it just comes back. I have the itch and dry skin in both ears but it only seems to be a problem with one.

I have this. It’s so annoying. I’ve just ordered otinova from Amazon and it seems to be working.