WHY DO MY EARS ITCH ?

Every one must have experienced itching of the ears once in your life. Itching can be due to various causes. We ( ENT) have seen persons in our OPD, who had scratched their ears( due to itching) with buds, pencil or pen tip, feather, finger nails and ended up injuring the canal skin or even injuring ear drum. 

HERE ARE SOME OF THE CAUSES FOR ITCHING

WEATHER     Dry weather  causes dryness of the skin of outer ear canal. 

WAX   Hard or impacted wax, can cause itching, which will be aggravated, especially if soap or shampoo enters the ear while bathing

INFECTION   After a bout of cold or upper respiratory infections, in swimmer's ear and in otitis externa, inflammation and infection of ear canal   causes discharge, which  gets dried up leading to severe itching. Another is fungal infection ( otomycosis). 

ALLERGIC CONDITIONS    associated with Allergic Rhinitis, Contact Dermatitis due to use of  certain soap, shampoo, topical medicine( ear drops) , hearing aid( rashes) .

Allergy to certain foods, like shell fish, nuts, gluten. 

Certain Skin conditions like psoriasis, seborrhoeic  dermatitis ( dandruff) can cause itching of the ears. 

TREATMENT DEPENDS ON THE CAUSE, DON'T  INJURE THE EAR BY SCRATCHING. IT CAN  LEAD ON TO SEVERE INFECTION  ( Uncontrolled Diabetes, or those with allergy history)