The water, the sun, plenty of swimming and splashing around to many people, these are the ingredients for a perfect summer day spent by the pool or at the beach. Add a painful ear infection to the picture, and the scenario quickly slides downhill. That's what can happen to you if swimmer's ear strikes, unless you know how to prevent the problem.

Swimmer's ear, an infection of the outer ear canal, sometimes can be caused by a fungus, but common bacteria is usually the culprit. "It got the name swimmer's ear because it's quite prone to happen in the summer, when people are in the water a lot and they have water lying in the ear for a long period of time," says Donald B. Kamerer, M.D., F.A.C.S., a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and staff physician at the Pittsburgh Eye and Ear Hospital. Those are just the right conditions for the development of swimmer's ear, because bacteria thrive in a warm, damp, moist environment. Also, exposure to large amounts of water tends to wash away the oily, waxy substance that normally lines and protects the ear canal. "Then the antibacterial protection is lost, bacteria begins to enter, and it can get out of hand," says Jay E. Caldwell, M.D., director of the Alaska Sports Medicine Clinic in Anchorage.

External ear infections don't just occur in swimmers or in the summertime. "We see them all year round," says Kamerer. Getting water in the ear from showers may cause them, but sometimes you don't need to be around water at all. "People who play inside their ear canals with bobby pins or all sorts of implements sometimes get infections started by scratching the very delicate skin in the ear canal," says Kamerer. Many people also use cotton swabs to clean their ears daily, which can actually hinder their efforts to keep their ears healthy. "The ear has a way of keeping itself clean," says Caldwell. "Q-tips or bobby pins or whatever you put in there just scrapes the surface and breaks down the fairly resilient barrier against bacteria."

Swimmer's ear usually starts with an itching or tingling in the ear. Resist the urge to scratch, though, which will only make the problem worse. After that, you may experience mild to severe pain. With more serious cases, discharge drains from the ear, and you may have some hearing loss from swelling of the ear canal. You should see your doctor right away if this occurs. One way to help you determine if the infection is in the outer ear is to gently pull on your ear, wiggle it, and move it back and forth. If that hurts, it's likely to be an outer-ear infection such as swimmer's ear. So that you won't have to suffer through this. here's what you can do to prevent swimmer's ear.

Watch Where You Swim : Avoid jumping in to pools, ponds, lakes, oceans, or any other body of water in which the water may not be clean. Dirty water means more bacteria.

Get The Water Out : A key to preventing swimmer's ear is to not let water sit in the ear. You can usually feel water swish around in your ear if there's still some in there after a shower or swim. "Shake the water out of your ear if you've been swimming or diving," says Alexander Schleuning, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery a Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland.

Add a Few Drops : Over the counter antiseptic eardrops, such as Aqua Ear, Ear Magic, or Swim Ear, used after swimming may help to prevent or ease the problem for those who swim a lot and are already familiar with the symptoms of swimmer's ear. According to the Academy of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, you can also whip up an antiseptic mixture of your own using equal amounts of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar, as long as you have normal eardrums and your doctor says it's safe. White vinegar kills bacteria and fungus. The alcohol absorbs water and may kill bacteria and fungus as well. You can buy a dropper bottle at a pharmacy. Along the same lines, Kamerer recommends that people who swim a lot put a couple of drops of rubbing alcohol in their ears following swimming or drop in a mixture of half white vinegar, half water.

Pull on a Bathing Cap : While this may not afford much protection for a competitive swimmer who's constantly in the water, says Caldwell, it may keep water out for the casual swimmer. "If it's a tight bathing cap that fits over the ears, across the forehead, and around the back of the neck, it may help," says Kamerer.

Don't Poke Around in Your Ears : "I always tell my patients not to put anything in their ear smaller than their elbow," says Caldwell. You can exacerbate a mild case of swimmer's ear or get an infection started by poking, swabbing, or scratching inside your ears. Wax produced in the ear puts up a barrier that is antibacterial and protects against moisture. "If you undo nature's system, you set yourself up for trouble," says Kamerer.