How can I get my ears kissed without getting them infected?

May 21, 2006 1:31 PM

I love having my ears kissed/licked, but this seems to cause ear infections sometimes. Is there a way to avoid the infections?
posted by rwatson to health & fitness (17 comments total)

I have let my dogs lick my ears (they call it 'kissing') for the last two years and I had my last ear infection over three years ago. Are you sure its the licking/kissing? (PS My dogs eat raw meat daily and their own poo, so I know their mouths are not perfectly clean)
posted by iurodivii at 1:35 PM on May 21, 2006

I have a small ear canal that I think is more likely to get infected than that of many people. It has happened a few times after my ears have been kissed, although it has also happened at unrelated times.
posted by rwatson at 1:40 PM on May 21, 2006

This is just completely out of left field, but I'll throw it out for consideration.
Do you clean your ears (ear wax) aggressively? I've read elsewhere where this may be a bad thing to do as the wax acts to minimize the risk of infection.
posted by edgeways at 2:05 PM on May 21, 2006

After twenty-some years of doctor administered ear exams, one doctor said to me: "do you know that you have an unusual ear canal, and its not possible to see your ear drum..." with the usual tools... "so don't trust any doctor who doesn't tell you that, if he's examining your ears."
posted by StickyCarpet at 2:10 PM on May 21, 2006

You should never clean out the wax in your ears all the way, because it helps resist infections, and it also aids in hearing as well. Do you mean dogs licking your ears or your boyfriend/girlfriend? They say the human mouth is the dirtiest, and the worst animal bite you can get is a human bite, because of all the bacteria.
posted by lain at 2:13 PM on May 21, 2006

lain: sometimes I do feel like even the slightest amount of ear wax cuts down on the clarity of the high frequencies.
posted by StickyCarpet at 2:15 PM on May 21, 2006

Correction: Ear wax helps resist infections by catching anything that shouldnt be in your ear. I wonder where I heard it helps in hearing.. *gets some Q-Tips*
posted by lain at 2:36 PM on May 21, 2006

Dumb idea -- ask the individuals in question to use Listerine?
posted by WCityMike at 6:04 PM on May 21, 2006

Maybe ask your doctor about some sort of antiseptic ear flush? I say ask your doctor because there could be ramifications to killing all the bacteria in your ear.

You could make gently washing out your ears a followup to ear kissing sessions.

Maybe even just making sure your inner ear was dry once you're done would help.
posted by tomble at 6:24 PM on May 21, 2006

Plastic wrap ear dams.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 8:35 PM on May 21, 2006

I'm curious about this too. I live almost under BART so I sleep with earplugs. One ear always gets an outer ear infection. When I go to the doc he gives me oral antibiotics and I promptly become allergic to them, so I'm avoiding the doctor. I've tried triple antibiotic cream, hydrogen peroxide, and bactine. The bactine worked a couple times but now it doesn't. Any suggestions would be very welcome.
posted by small_ruminant at 10:19 PM on May 21, 2006

reading tomble's suggestion reminded me that ear infections can be fungal as often as bacterial. Maybe blow dry your ear on a low setting?
posted by small_ruminant at 10:20 PM on May 21, 2006

I also have a narrow ear canal, and also had a big problem with ear infections a a couple of years ago. Personally, I was blaming it on my 6 month old child dribbling into my ears. Having spoken to the doctor though - who laughed at my theory - any form of spittle-induced ear infection is unlikely as a primary cause.

With hindsight it seems likely that I had a persistent and tenacious infection - 6 in the space of the year - that never entirely cleared up, instead reinfecting, until the very last time. This might be the problem for you too.

Do you know what type of infection you are getting? If it's middleear / past the ear drum - as most are - then it's incredibly unlikely that having your ear drums kissed is a cause.
posted by bifter at 2:35 AM on May 22, 2006

Every time I got an ear infection, the doc blamed my habit of using Qtips. So I stopped the Qtips.

Eventually, the infections returned, only more often. At a doctor visit, I explained the history and that I was going to go back to my old practice (which, honestly, had as much to do with removing moisture as anything else, if not more). My new doctor agreed (the new infection was fungal). And had me use alcohol with the swabs.

Alcohol, isopropyl, 90%. Ask your duggist, it's sold for ears! (good for other handy uses too, where a strong solvent easily removes tar-like deposits)
posted by Goofyy at 3:16 AM on May 22, 2006

It's an outer ear infection. My eardrums aren't being kissed directly anyway!
posted by rwatson at 4:23 AM on May 22, 2006

Exactly! You'd need to have them kissed directly pretty much for it to give you a middle / inner ear infection.
posted by bifter at 6:10 AM on May 22, 2006

My ears are my errogenous zone, as well, and I tend to just wash them clean with soap and water after a healthy tongueing. In my mind it's the same as washing after sexual intercourse. FWIW, I never get ear infections regardless of if there've been tongues, of any sort, near my ears.
posted by redsnare at 11:27 AM on May 22, 2006