7. Swollen and red
The outer ear will be swollen and red. When this happens, place a hot compress on the outer ear to relieve the swelling. To make your own hot compress, in a pan of hot water place Epsom salt and rubbing alcohol in it. Dip the washcloth in the pan, wring out any excess water, and place it against the outer ear. Let it sit there for five minutes.
The redness may slightly go away as well. If that doesn’t work, go to the emergency room or to your primary care physician to get treated for it. There is more going on inside of the ear than it just being swollen and red. Sometimes the outer ear will become swollen and it goes away in a few days, but with a swimmer’s ear, it won’t go away that quickly. You’ll need to have advanced treatment in order to get rid of it.