Surfer's Ear - Exostosis

Wow, this is information that you need to read if you surf in the winter or in cold water. It was brought to my attention by Gidget(Lee) Ferraro, long time surfer and surf pioneer(See Article Perfect Wave). The medical term is actually Exostosis, which really means abnormal bone growth.
The condition is found primarily in cold water surfer's, hence the name, but can afflict anyone who participates in cold water sports such as kayaking and diving. Basically when your ear canal is exposed to cold air and water it causes the bone around the canal to produce new bony growth. With time, this bony growth causes a narrowing of the canal which ultimately causes painful ear infections due to inadequate drainage, and more importantly hearing loss. The treatment is not pretty and requires surgery that is very painful and has a two month recovery time, that means no surfing! And often those that have surgery will have even faster bone growth in the future requiring a second or third surgical procedure.

So what's a surfer to do? It is widely agreed that the best solution is prevention. That means keeping your ears protected! So if you are prone to being Macho out there in the water by not wearing a hood, save it for another time. As Gidget so aptly stated in her e-mail to me, "keep the lid on!!!" If you hate the thought of a hood there is a product you can buy called a Surfmuff that might be a good alternative.

Thanks Gidget for bringing this to my attention.

For additional information about surfer's ear see links below:
Wikipedia
Surfline
The Health Center