Surfer's Ear: (External Auditory Exostosis)

With SurfMuff^® you can keep your ears warm and protected when you surf.

Healthy Ear Free flow of water in and out washes away precious ear wax.

Moderate Exostosis

Severe Exostosis Bony growth typical of exostosis response to cold water and air.

Many advances in wetsuit materials and design have made it possible to keep the body comfortable in even some of the most extreme conditions. Now that same technology has been applied to ears.  The medical term for Surfer's Ear is exostosis, which is a bony growth in the ear canal occurring when the bone is irritated by cold over many years of exposure. Cold or warm air blowing over wet skin lowers the temperature by evaporation thus stimulating bony growth.  The skin's surface is also cooled by conduction, radiation and convection, which causes heat loss and triggers exostosis.

SurfMuff^® protects the ear by insulating the entire outer ear and ear canal.  The neoprene cover resists "injections" of cold water.  When water does seep in, it readily drains allowing the ear to return to a tropical temperature.  Since nothing plugs into the ear canal, hearing is substantially unimpaired.

Research supports the SurfMuff^® concept as a viable approach to managing surfer's ear.  Inhabitants of warm water coastal regions (e.g. Polynesia) exhibit relatively low incidence of surfer's ear, in contrast to a fairly high incidence in colder coastal regions.  Archeological studies on skulls excavated from Northern Chile, dating back to between 7000B.C. to 1500 A.D., revealed that coastal inhabitants, who were known to dive for shellfish, had about a 31% prevalence of EAE compared to only 2.3% for valley people, and 0% for highlanders.  The effect of prolonged exposure to cold water has afflicted man for too long.  

Without protection, surfer's ear can progress to a point that requires surgery.  The procedure is expensive and painful.  Bone growth after surgery tends to be faster than before, causing some surfers to require multiple surgeries on the same ear over a lifetime of exposure.  Most agree, prevention is the best approach to managing surfers ear.  

Interestingly, the latest research suggests keeping the ears religiously warm around the clock with woolen/silk headbands, hats, plugs or hoods, especially when sleeping at night can slow and may even reverse severe exostosis.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SURFER'S EAR
Santa Cruz Medical Foundation
HealthCentre
Health Freaks (Surfers Ear Remedy)
Atlantic Coast Ear Specialists