Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor (ENT) Questions Ear-Nose and Throat Doctor (ENT)

Tiny ears, infected after impacted?

Hi! I have always had ear problems. Earaches would catch me every time I swam or went out into the cold. It got worse as I got older (I think my ears are too small. They are seriously tiny. Like a child’s). Once every year or so I’d have to remove a massive amount of black ear wax that was causing me panic anyway some months back both of my ears became impacted again to the point where standing up made me light-headed. This time I invested in an otoscope so I could see what I was actually dealing with. Dates June 4th ending June 7th - Left ear was no problem, I did my usual routine of peroxide flush followed by coconut oil drops and massage the outer ear for several days then removing any extra with a soft ear pick. Did the same with the right ear except after all the cleaning the eardrum had a dark spot on it that looked kinda scabby to me.

I figured my ear would deal with it naturally and to leave it alone since it felt much better after removing the wax. However it didn’t feel as good as my left ear, the drum didn’t look the same, it still felt dull and under slight pressure and there would be random moments of pain that would quickly pass. I left it alone from June 7th to June 18. Today June 19th I had some weird pain that lasted a little longer and I decided to look. It looked like there was cotton or mold growing from my eardrum! I contacted A PCP who said it might be “a keratin pearl” but I think she’s wrong. It looks nothing like that.
After she told me that I decided to just flush it with hydrogen peroxide again. I did that and It washed out all the “mold” looking bits. it feels a bit better but now it looks sore and odd. What is this? Is it an infection? Should I go to an end? Can I treat this at home? I don’t know if I’ve had this before as this is the first year I’ve been able to see inside my ears. what do you think? The photos should be In chronological order

Female | 23 years old

4 Answers

Do you have environmental allergies? Using a solution of grain alcohol and distilled white vinegar to clean and keep ears dry.
It is difficult to make a diagnosis with just those pictures. I would recommend seeing an ENT doctor where they can see in your ear with a microscope. It may just be cerulean on your eardrum that they can remove at your visit. Good luck!
Photos are a bit blurry. Looks more life dry, crusted blood to me. Would have to look with microscope for more information. I have had adult women like "Child size" ear canals. I would advise scheduled microscopic ear cleanings every 3 to 4 months. Best not to put oils in ears, They just gum up the wax and epithelial debris. Do not overdo the peroxide. It can lead to more inflammation and shedding of epithelial debris.
Hello there,

That was a detailed explanation of your symptoms and treatment. Based on the photos, the final picture of your ear drum actually looks quite good. It doesn’t look infected, but the only way to say for sure would be an exam with an ENT. Overall, I think you did a good job cleaning it.