Boy Wore Earphones For So Long That Fungus Grew in His Ear Canal

I have been staring at the image that depicts our headline for the day.

Image: ETtoday

It is not very pretty, let me tell you that. Look at it for yourself and describe to me that discomfort that you are feeling in four words.

Image: Giphy

Now that your curiosity has been piqued to the core with that rather graphic looking image of what looks to be little toad eggs attached to an ear canal, here’s what really happened.

A 10-year-old boy in Beijing was found to have fungus growing on the walls of his ear canal. The cause of the following has been pointed to the boy’s prolonged use of headphones.

Doctor Found “Fluff-Like” Fungus in Boy’s Ear

One thing is for sure and it is that it looks far from what fluffy is to me.

Image: Giphy

Prior to seeing a doctor, the 10-year-old had complained about itching in his ears. According to another report, the boy also had difficulty in hearing.

The boy was sent in for a consultation at the Shunyi Women and Children’s Hospital where it was later found that he had “fluff-like” fungus in his ears.

The doctor suggested that the 10-year-old’s prolonged use of headphones had caused a lack of ventilation in his external ear canal. The lack of ventilation allegedly resulted in a rise of temperature in the canal, trapping moisture, and elevating humidity levels.

All of which paved for the growth of the black mould.

Image: Giphy

Boy Often Picked His Ears 

According to Chinese news outlet, ETtoday, the doctor had also pointed out that the boy had a habit of picking on his ears.

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Which didn’t do him much good as it only brought further damage to the mucosal membrane which led to the fungal ear infection.

Image: Giphy

Fortunately, the 10-year-old was able to undergo treatment and his hearing has also gone back to normal.

Fungal Infections Can Relapse

While it takes just about three weeks and adequate treatment to be cured of a fungal infection, the doctor also warned that such fungal diseases are bound to relapse unless proper care is taken to prevent it from happening.

The solution? Keep your ears clean and let it ventilate.

As much as possible, everybody is advised to refrain from picking your ears with your fingers and cotton buds.

You should also avoid fro the use of harsh wash clothes and sharp objects that might cause injury to the ear. It is also important to note that such objects could push back the wax further in, causing the dirt to be trapped.

Lest you’re wondering how you can clean your ears…wonder no more. Ears kind of clean themselves, just like how cats would clean themselves, so you can just learn your ears alone.

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