WHAT'S UP WITH...AN ITCHY EAR

Um, you may want to clean your earbuds.

- BY KAYLA BLANTON

WHEN YOU HAVE TO scratch your outer ear, it’s annoying, but at least you can reach it. When the itch is inside the canal, though, it’s so frustrating because you can’t get to it. And don’t try sticking your finger or other objects in your ear can irritate or injure it, possibly even causing eardrum damage, says Geoffrey B. Trenkle, D.O., a founder of the Los Angeles Center for Ear, Nose, Throat, and Allergy.

WHAT CAUSES THE FEELING?

Infections, eczema, and allergies are common causes of irritation within the ear, says Hae-Ok Ana Kim, M.D., division chief of otology and neurotology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Other causes may include: