Overview
- Enfield told podcast hosts this week that doctors discovered bony growths in his ear canals while fitting him for hearing aids and that the condition has left him partially deaf.
- Medical experts say exostosis, commonly called surfer’s ear, is a slow-growing, benign bone growth triggered by repeated cold water and wind that can narrow the ear canal and trap wax and debris.
- Treatment choices include hearing aids or bone-conduction devices to manage hearing loss and a surgical canalplasty to remove bone, but surgery can be painful, requires lengthy recovery, and may have long waiting times.
- Audiologists advise reducing cold-water exposure and wearing fitted swimming earplugs or a snug cap to lower risk, because growths do not shrink on their own once they form.
- The case highlights a wider rise in wild and cold-water swimming promoted by public figures and may prompt more swimmers to seek ear checks and use protective gear to avoid long-term hearing problems.