Surfer’s Ear: Understanding Symptoms & Treatments

That muffled hearing after surfing may seem like insignificant trapped water, but it can sometimes lead to permanent damage. Surfer’s ear, also called exostosis of the ear canal, happens when repeated cold water and wind exposure causes extra bone to grow inside the ear canal. Over time, that narrow space can trap water, dull your hearing, and lead to repeat ear infections. 

This isn’t a rare condition. In fact, research finds that nearly 73.5% of surfers experience the symptoms of surfer’s ear, and that number is slightly higher among surfers, swimmers, and cold-water athletes along the Southern California coast. 

For people who enjoy being in the water, treatment for surfer’s ears needs to be about more than clearing the ear. It needs to include steps to protect hearing and enable surfers to get back to the ocean safely. 

Continue reading to learn how the best ENT in Los Angeles helps patients across Southern California get the right diagnosis for surfer’s ear, decide which treatment option is the best, and avoid future occurrences.

What Are the Symptoms and Causes of Surfer’s Ear? 

Surfer’s ear is a slow change inside the ear canal that can sneak up on people who spend a lot of time in cold water and wind. The medical name is exostosis of the ear canal, which means extra bone growth forms along the walls of the canal. This bone usually builds over years of repeated exposure, especially in surfers, swimmers, divers, and other water athletes. 

At first, it may only feel like water is stuck in your ear after a session. As the canal gets narrower, additional symptoms begin to surface, including: 

• Muffled hearing
• Pressure inside the ear
• Wax buildup
• Frequent ear infections

Because the early signs can feel minor, many people do not realize they have surfer’s ear until the blockage starts affecting daily life.

Surfer’s Ear vs. Swimmer’s Ear: What’s the Difference?

Surfer’s ear and swimmer’s ear are easy to confuse because both can cause ear discomfort after time in the water. The difference is what is happening inside the ear. 

• Swimmer’s ear is an infection in the outer ear canal, often caused by water, bacteria, or irritation. It can come on quickly and may cause pain, itching, swelling, drainage, or tenderness when you touch the ear. 
• Surfer’s ear is not an infection. It is extra bone growth that narrows the ear canal. 

The two conditions can also feed into each other. When surfer’s ear blocks the canal, water and wax can get trapped more easily, which can lead to repeated infections. That is why getting the right diagnosis and treatment from the best ENT in Los Angeles matters. 

Why Surfer’s Ear Needs Treatment Before it Gets Worse

Surfer’s ear may not feel urgent in the beginning, especially if the symptoms come and go. But the bone growth can keep narrowing the ear canal over time, and as the opening gets smaller, water has less room to drain, and wax can become harder to clear. This can lead to chronic ear infections, ongoing fullness, ear pain, and hearing loss that becomes harder to ignore. Early treatment gives you more control before the problem starts affecting your daily life.

Non-Surgical Treatment for Surfer’s Ear: What Helps Early On

In mild cases, the best ENT in Los Angeles can help you manage surfer’s ear without surgery. The goal is to protect the ear, reduce irritation, and treat problems like infections or ear wax buildup when they happen. Keeping the ear dry when needed, using ear protection in cold water, and avoiding habits that can scratch or inflame the canal are also recommended. Surf earplugs, custom ear molds, and hoods can help block cold water and wind, which are two of the biggest triggers for surfer’s ear. If the canal becomes severely blocked or infections keep coming back, even with these conservative treatments, surgery is usually the best next step.

Canalplasty for Surfer’s Ear: The Gold Standard Treatment

Canalplasty is the surgical treatment used to remove the extra bone growth from the ear canal. During this procedure, the best surfer’s ear surgeon in Los Angeles carefully reshapes the canal so sound, water, and wax can move through more normally again. For an advanced case of surfer’s ear, canalplasty is often considered the gold standard because it treats the root of the problem instead of only managing the symptoms. 

Surgery for surfer’s ear is recommended when you have:

• Repeat ear infections
• Trapped water in the ear
• Worsening hearing
• A canal that has become mostly blocked

Recovery from surfer’s ear surgery depends on the severity of the condition and the surgical approach, but patients usually need to keep the ear dry and stay out of the water while the canal heals. 

How to Prevent Surfer’s Ear After Treatment

Surfer’s ear can come back if the ear keeps getting exposed to cold water and wind without protection. That is why prevention matters even after treatment. Some of the best strategies for the prevention of surfer’s ear include:

• Earplugs
• Custom molds
• Surf hoods
• Other protective gear can help reduce irritation inside the ear canal

Regular checkups with the best ENT in Los Angeles are also important, especially for surfers who spend many days each year in the water. These visits can catch early changes before symptoms become frustrating again. 

Surfers should also learn what the symptoms of worsening or recurring surfer’s ear are: 

• Trapped water
• Muffled hearing
• Wax buildup
• Repeated ear infections

Finding the Best ENT in Los Angeles for Surfer’s Ear Treatment

Surfer’s ear is treatable and preventable with the right ear, nose, and throat specialist. When bone growth starts narrowing the ear canal, the goal is to protect your hearing, reduce infections, and help you return to the water with a clearer plan for long-term ear health. Dr. Daneshrad is known up and down the California coast for providing the best surfer’s ear treatment in Los Angeles.