Itchy, Itchy Ears: Common Causes and Solutions

When asking about ears, every audiologist has heard this: “My ears don’t hurt, but they itch a lot!” Whether or not a person uses hearing aids, itching in the ears is very common. 

But why?

A lot of things can cause itching all over the body, and the ear is no different. I’ve briefly listed some common causes and solutions, but saved an in-depth look for conditions related to hearing aid issues.

3 Common Causes of Itchy Ears

Itchy ears, while annoying, are often not a sign of more serious problems. Here are the three most common reasons we see patients with itchy ears.

Dry Skin

Itchy, dry skin in the ear canal can be caused by your environment. This includes cold, dry air in the winter and over-air-conditioned air in the summer. 

It can also be caused by over-cleaning (especially with cotton swabs, which can absorb natural oils too quickly) and by natural aging.

Solution: Moisturize

A drop or two of an oil like Miracell® in each ear at night will absorb while you sleep and often provides fast relief, but take care to never place oil in an ear that has a history of holes in the eardrum. 

Lotion on a little finger or a cotton swab can also be placed in the ear canal. 

Often, a humidifier can help with dry skin.

Medical Conditions

Medical conditions such as allergies, outer ear infections like “swimmer’s ear,” and eczema or psoriasis can cause or worsen itching in the ear canal. 

Surprisingly, high levels of stress or anxiety can be felt as itching and discomfort all over, including inside the ears.

Solution: Seek Medical Treatment

Ear, nose, and throat physicians can determine whether allergies or ear infections are the issue; physicians specializing in the ears, nose, and throat (“ENTs” or “otolaryngologists”) can prescribe appropriate treatments. 

Dermatologists, skin-specialized doctors, can help with diagnoses such as eczema and psoriasis, for which many treatments are available. 

If you think stress might be the problem, talk it out with a licensed counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist. 

You may relieve yourself of more than just an itch.

Hearing Aid Issues

Although hearing devices don’t usually cause allergic reactions, there are other ways they might contribute to itching.

If there is a build-up of earwax, a hearing aid can make it worse, causing itching or irritation until the ear is cleaned.

If a hearing aid sits too loosely inside the ear, it can “tickle” the ear canal and cause itching.

If a hearing aid has a very tight fit in the ear and is worn for a very long time each day, moisture can accumulate behind the hearing aid, causing a damp, itchy feeling (kind of like when you sweat in the summertime).

While the hearing aids themselves are usually hypoallergenic, clients rarely experience allergic reactions to cleaning solutions, whether in our clinic or to over-the-counter versions used at home.

Solution: See Your Hearing Care Provider

The hearing care providers at HHC can work with you to assess the fit of your hearing devices (loose/tight) and recommend next steps and other changes or treatments. 

We can also look deeply into your ears, a process called “otoscopy,” to see whether dry skin, earwax, or an allergic reaction is the problem. 

When in doubt, contact your audiologist.

How to Scratch Your Itchy Ears

There’s nothing else like scratching an itch, but we have some recommendations for how to go about it to avoid causing more problems. 

Here are some techniques:

The Push and Wiggle

Placing a finger on the space in front of the ear and “wiggling” can help ease itching with or without a hearing aid in place. This is using the flat of your finger, not your fingernail!

Re- adjust your hearing device

If possible, remove and re-place your hearing aid, or pull the earbud in and out, to apply some pressure inside the ear and scratch that itch.

“Referred” itching

This one is a bit weird…Often used by people with missing limbs, “referred” itching is when you scratch an itch without actually scratching it.

Instead of trying to reach deep inside your ear canal, gently scratching another part of your body (like the back of your hand) while thinking about your itchy ear (“referring” the itch to the ear) can provide surprising relief. 

I’ve used this myself when I get an itch on the bottom of my foot in the car. Sometimes it works.

Could Itchy Ears Be Something Serious?

Most ear itching is minor and easily managed, but there are situations where it warrants prompt professional attention. 

Contact your audiologist or physician if you experience:

• Persistent itching that doesn’t respond to home remedies after a week or two
• Pain or pressure inside the ear, alongside the itching
• Discharge or fluid coming from the ear canal
• Muffled or changing hearing that coincides with when itching began
• Visible redness or swelling around or inside the ear
• Itching after a recent illness, including some viral infections, like shingles, can affect the ear canal and require prompt medical treatment

These symptoms don’t always mean something serious is wrong, but they’re worth a professional look. 

Catching an infection, skin condition, or wax impaction early is almost always easier than waiting it out.

Never Stick Something in Your Ear

It’s always important to remember, don’t place foreign objects like Q-tips, bobby pins, long fingernails, pens or pencils, paperclips, or golf tees (yes, we’ve been told someone used a golf tee!) in your ears for itching or wax removal. 

These objects can push earwax toward the eardrum or cut the skin inside the ear, causing bleeding. 

When that cut begins to scab over and heal…it will itch even worse!

Itchy Ears? Dealing with Hearing Loss? Book an Appointment at Hearing Health Center Today!

If itching is persistent, worsening, or accompanied by pain, discharge, or muffled hearing, don’t wait it out. 

The team at Hearing Health Center is here to help identify the source and get you comfortable again.
Schedule an appointment at any of our five convenient Chicagoland locations.

Ronna Fisher

Dr. Ronna Fisher, AuD, CCC-A, FAAA is the founder and president of Hearing Health Center, which she established in 1984 in memory of her father, who suffered from untreated hearing loss and died at 53. That personal loss has shaped her entire career. Under her leadership, Hearing Health Center has been voted the best hearing practice in Illinois three years in a row by Hearing Review. In 2005, she expanded her mission by founding the Fisher Foundation for Hearing Health Care, a nonprofit dedicated to making auditory care more accessible. Dr. Fisher earned her doctorate in audiology from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology (CCC-A) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and a member of the Academy of Dispensing Audiologists.

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