Surfer's ear commonly leads to deafness and repeated ear infections for keen surfers. This is due to the fact that the wind causes sea water in the outer ear to evaporate and cool it down. This leads to the bone around the outside of the ear overgrowing and narrowing the canal.
The only proven treatment is surgery. ZenPlugs recently surveyed 203 keen surfers and found that one in 17 of them had the surfer's ear operation at some point.
An ear nose and throat surgeon will inject a dose of local anaesthetic into the skin of the ear and makes a cut. They then fold this back and use a drill or chisel to remove the new bone which has formed, opening up the channel. Chiseling is preferable to drilling as a drill can cause more damage to the soft tissues in the area. Using a chisel can result in less pain and a shorter recovery period afterwards. There is also a smaller risk of post-operative infection.
Dr Doug Hetzler talks about the Operation.
The skin is sewn back over and left to heal. You can probably tell from the description that this is not a very nice operation to have due to the discomfort after the operation. Often the main moan about the surgery is that surfers can't go back in the water for several weeks afterwards.
There is evidence that wearing surfing ear plugs and a cap are highly effective at preventing surfer's ear and the need for an operation. It is essential to wear both every time you surf if you want to be sure you won't have problems. The cap is also needed as well as the plugs because you need to keep the bone which is behind the ear warm as well. Cooling here can also lead to the condition.
Summary. 1 in 17 regular surfers have had their ears drilled or chiseled. Wearing surfing ear plugs and a cap every time you surf will protect you.
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This will result in a hefty scar and a lot of time spent not doing what you love...surfing!
Wear one of these with your Earplugs.
Hood on, Ear Plugs in.