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Child Noisy Breathing or Stridor? Parent Guide | London & Essex

  Why Is My Child’s Breathing Noisy? A Parent’s Guide to Stridor, Croup and When to Seek Help Hearing an unusual noise when your child breathes can be frightening. Parents may describe the sound as squeaky, harsh, wheezy, whistling or “croupy”. Some notice it only when their child is crying or excited. Others hear it while the child is resting or sleeping. One of the most important points is that not all noisy breathing is the same . A noise coming from the nose is different from a wheeze coming from the lower airways. A harsh sound when a child  inhales may be  stridor , which can indicate narrowing of  the upper airway or voice box. Many causes of noisy breathing in children are treatable, and some are temporary. However, because a child’s airway is relatively small, worsening breathing difficulty should always be taken seriously. Mr Gaurav Kumar, Consultant ENT Surgeon, assesses children with ear, nose, throat, voice and upper-airway concerns from Lond...

Boil in the Ear canal can be very painful...



How do I know I have boil in the ear canal?
The ear canal is lined by skin up to the eardrum. Skin in the outer third of the ear canal has hair follicles. Hair follicles can get infected with bacteria and can form boil or furunculosis. It is challenging to look in our own ear canal. You can only feel a bump in the ear canal entrance which is tender to touch.

Why is so painful when we have boil in the ear?
Ear canal skin is very tightly attached to underlying cartilage. So any swelling in the skin stretches it and makes it very sore to touch.

How do we get boil in the ear canal? 
Most common causes of boil in the canal is dryness of the skin and trauma. Dry skin leads to cracks and these cracks can get infected. People who use dry earbuds, fingers, towel edges or pens and traumatise ear canal skin, which can get infected with bacteria.

How do I release the temptation of using earbuds?
Some people can get very dry skin due to sensitivity to soup, shampoo or dye they use. If you have dry skin, you should let ear canal dry out naturally rather than using earbuds or towel. You can use a hairdryer at low heat setting to take the moisture away.  If you wish to moisturise the ear canal, use E45 lotion in the outer ear canal. If you are sensitive to soup and shampoo, using cotton coated with petroleum jelly (vaseline) can help. Use earplugs while swimming and using a swimming cap or band can help keep earplugs tightly fit.


How do I treat ear boil infection?
In most cases, using painkillers ie Ibuprofen, hot fomentation using flannel soaked in warm water, taking rest and stop using earbud can help. In cases if it becomes excruciating, make an appointment to see an ENT surgeon to get ear examined and antibiotic prescription. In a few instances, if ear boil becomes large and painful, it needs to be drained under local anaesthetic.

Why can someone get recurrent boil in the ear canal?
Recurrent boil in the ear canal can be due to untreated, dry skin, constant irritation due to swimmers ear or low immunity.
Low immunity in patients with undiagnosed diabetes, autoimmune disorder or if you are having chemotherapy can lead to the recurrent boil in the ear canal.  Patients are advised not to try and rupture the boil as infection can spread to nearby skin.

Helping Patients with Specialist Expertise And Kindness

Mr Gaurav Kumar


Consultant Ear Nose Throat Surgeon

To Make An Appointment

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07494914140

Disclaimer: For general information only, always seek medical advice from your treating consultant.

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