#1

Got my new hearing aids yesterday. Thanks to this forum, I have been able to deal with the strange sound effects that should go away with time. But the itching…! The audiologist says that will go away too, but what can I do about it meanwhile? It isn’t constant, but when it happens, I want to scratch and scratch.

Has anyone else had this problem?

#2

I have been wear aids for 15 years and every now and then I will get itchy ear canals. It happens more in the winter when the heat is on in the house and other buildings. I use Eargene to help with it. I get it at Amazon and it was recommended to me by one of my Audis years ago.

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#3

Welcome to the forum.

Something that helps me with itch is rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip, clean your ears out real good, then lightly wipe the molds with alcohol on a towel.
I also use a hearing aid dryer that has a UV light every night. Rarely have itching problems using the dryer.

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#4

When I first got mine, I had itching for about 4 days or so. It does go away.

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#5

I’m a new HA user of just a year. Whenever I get an itch, I remove the aid and reinsert. That seems to “scratch” the itch and after re-inserting all seems to be good. At least until there’s an itch again. :smile:

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#6

Thank you, everyone, for your help! We heat with wood here, so that might be aggravating the problem. I’ll try the alcohol and hope things quiet down in a day or two :slight_smile:

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#7

It will go away, but in the meantime get Eargene to sooth that itch!

#8

I understand that Eargene can be found on Amazon. Can it be found in places like CVS?

BTW, the itch isn’t so bad today, so there’s hope :wink:

#9

Costco gave me this the first visit. I used to carry it in my pocket but hardly use it anymore.

IMG_20191217_080045
IMG_20191217_080045.jpg3036×4048 2.05 MB

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#10

Your itching might be due to improper fitting of your hearing aids or it might be slight allergic reaction from the plastic. Whatever may be the case, You should discuss it with your audiologist.

#11

My ears itch periodically. I first swab them with alcohol and then put a very small amount of Cortizone-10 Maximum Strength anti-itch creme on a q-tip. Works every time.

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#12

The itch has finally subsided, thank goodness! The audiologist said to wipe some hand lotion in there and let it dry. That helped. This lotion had the anti-itch ingredient.

Actually, a good scratch worked as well as anything :wink:

At this point, time seems to have taken care of the problem.

#13

Glad the itch subsided! I was also going to suggest (as one did earlier) that you may have an allergy to the plastic used on the mold IF that’s what your aids are made from. If it’s silicone dome in the canal, it would be less likely (but not unheard of) to get a reaction.

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#14

I get infrequent but annoying itching. Cleaning with hydrogen peroxide often helps. I also saw this stuff mentioned in another thread and it both reduces itching and can work as a lubricant if I’m having trouble inserting my domes into dry ears:
ProEar

ProEar
ProEar.jpg312×800 57.7 KB

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#15

^^^ I used to use Miracel years ago, but found that lubricant/moisturizer ended up compounding my sensitive ear situation.

#16

Alcohol is drying and may lead to irritation of ear canal skin(and infection). The physician’s assistant who treated me for my ear infection at a university audiology clinic recommended against it. He suggested swabbing domes or molds with just the slightest bit of olive or mineral oil before insertion. He said that any slight residue left in the ear would help protect the canal against dryness. Just a little oil goes a long way. I suggest avoiding the receiver ends. I apply it with my index finger and I can barely see the amount that I use on my finger tip.

#17

My wife had itching problems with her HAs (Oticon OPN1 RITE with domes), and found that putting them in the dryer/UV box overnight solved that problem for her.

#18

What brand and model Dryer/UV box do you have?

#19

I’m not the guy you asked, but I use “Zephyr by Dry & Store Hearing Instrument Dryer/Dehumidifier”:
https://www.amazon.com/Zephyr-Dry-Store-Dehumidifier-Maintenance/dp/B001CNGUQC/

I think it’s OK. Only disadvantage is you need to replace the dessicant every 2-3 months.

#20

Thanks! I’m curious what others are using.
This is the one my audiologist recommends.

https://www.amazon.com/Quest-Perfectdry-Automatic-Disinfecting-Cleaning/dp/B00H8QOE0Q?ref_=ast_bbp_dp