Warning over ear damage from cold water exposure

Surfers, swimmers and other regular users of cold water are being urged to take precautions against ear damage.

An Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) consultant at the Royal Cornwall Hospital said she had seen an increase in cases of surfer's ear - bony growths that form to try and prevent cold water getting into the ear canal that can cause infections and hearing loss.

Aileen Lambert said she was concerned there may be more future cases due to improving wetsuits allowing people to use the water for longer, and a rise in the number of people open water swimming.

She said: "In the next 10 years or so we're going to see a big increase in the number of patients who have these bony growths in their ear."

She said: "People who take up cold water swimming which has really great health and mental health benefits, need to be aware that cold water can unfortunately have an effect on the ear canal over a long period of time."

Measures such as wearing ear plugs and a hat in case they fall out can be "really effective prevention", she added.

She said: "In 2019 we were seeing about 20 of these operations come through and that's crept up, so now we're seeing 24, 25 in a 12-month period. So about two a month might end up having an operation, but if that continues to increase that's something that we would all like to avoid just so patients don't have to go through it really."

More serious cases require an operation to remove the growths, and Lambert said a canalplasty is "not a small undertaking" and recovery of the skin afterwards can take a long time.

Karl Fice-Thomson is a surfer and marine educator from Newquay who had to have surgery after causing damage to his ears, having surfed in cold water from childhood.

He said: "When you start getting water stuck in there, it stays in there, which is an absolute nightmare.

"Sometimes that water gets infected, then it gives you ear infections. So towards the kind of later years in my 40s, I really started experiencing hearing loss, massive hearing loss, huge infections, chest infections all the time.

"[Also]nose, ear and throat infections and actually it was kind of affecting home life as well because I didn't realise how bad my hearing was."

He also wants young people and parents to be aware of the risks, and to take precautions.

"It has absolutely got to be considered from a younger age. Many children that I know in our community are in surf life-saving clubs or swimming clubs," he said.

Maxine Whitbread-Abrutat goes swimming often with the Cornish Kelpies group and takes ear health seriously as part of enjoying being in the water.

She said she often wears two hats and ear plugs and it "really helps".

"I just get ear ache if I get too much cold water in and I know you can get it from the pollution too."

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