What is "Surfer’s Ear"?
Surfers, swimmers, sailors, windsurfers, kayakers, cyclists, hikers and others who spend time around cold wind and/or water are prone to Surfer's Ear.
Surfer’s Ear or “exostosis of the external auditory canal” is a bone growth in the ear canal caused by repeated exposure to cold water and cold air.
Ears can be sensitive to being over-exposed to cold conditions and result in addition thickness of the bone inside the ear canal.
This bone growth, if allowed to continue growing, eventually obscures the drum - causing hearing impairment and possible deafness. Surfer’s Ear can also result in water being trapped behind the growing bone, which can lead to a serious infection.
The surgical treatement of Surfer's Ear is a major surgery with a significant recovery time. It’s not something you want to go through; the procedure involves the drilling/chiselling away the excess bone growth within the ear canal.
