Best Ear Care Doctor in Dubai: Everyday Ear Health

Many everyday ear problems start with a habit, not a disease. A cotton bud after every shower. Earbuds in for hours on the metro. A long swim, then a day in sweaty heat. An ear care doctor in Dubai can show you which habits to keep and which to drop.

Dr. Muhammad Jabbr is a Consultant ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon at Medcare Hospital, Al Safa. Many families trust him with their ears and call him one of the best doctors in Dubai for ear health. He has more than 20 years of experience, has performed more than 3,000 ENT procedures and treats both adults and children.

This guide shows how to protect your ears at home, at the pool, with headphones and on a plane, and when a small problem needs a doctor.

Do your ears really clean themselves?

In most people, yes. The skin inside your ear canal grows slowly outwards, like a conveyor belt. It carries old skin, dust and wax towards the opening. There, the wax dries and falls out on its own.

Ear wax is not dirt. It keeps the canal skin moist, traps dust and helps keep germs out. So good ear care does not mean removing all the wax. It means leaving the canal alone so it can do its job. If your ears often feel blocked, see a doctor rather than digging deeper at home.

Why are cotton buds bad for your ears?

The daily bud habit feels clean, but it works against the way your ear is built:

• It undoes the self-cleaning. Wax that was on its way out gets moved back in, so the ear can end up more blocked, not less.
• It wears down the skin. The skin lining the canal is very thin, especially near the eardrum. Daily rubbing leaves tiny cracks where germs can settle.
• It feeds an itch. With less wax, the skin dries out and itches. You scratch with a bud, the itch returns, and the habit grows.
• It can cause an injury. Someone bumps your arm, or a child grabs your hand, and the bud goes deeper than you meant.

Hair clips, keys and fingernails are no safer. A simple rule: if it fits inside your ear canal, do not use it to clean there.

How do swimming and Dubai's humidity affect your ears?

Life in Dubai means pools, beaches and hot, humid air. Water that stays in the ear canal softens the skin, and warm, damp skin lets germs and fungus grow. This is how "swimmer's ear", an infection of the skin of the outer ear canal, often begins. Sweat adds to it, and earbuds or hearing aids trap that moisture inside.

These steps can lower your risk:

• After the pool or the sea, tilt your head to one side and tug the earlobe gently, then switch sides.
• Pat the outer ear dry with a soft towel, keeping it out of the canal.
• If water still sloshes inside, a hair dryer on the lowest, cool setting, held well away from the ear, can help.
• Regular swimmers and children in swim classes can wear a swim cap pulled over the ears, or soft swimming earplugs that fit well.
• Let earbuds and hearing aids air out, and wipe them after the gym.

If you have a hole in your eardrum, or your child has grommets (ear tubes), ask a doctor before swimming or using any ear drops.

Can headphones and loud noise damage your hearing?

Yes. Loud sound can harm the delicate sensory cells deep inside the ear, and the body cannot replace them. Damage from everyday noise usually builds slowly and without pain, so most people do not notice it early. Read more about hearing loss causes and prevention.

• Try the 60/60 guide. A common tip is to keep the volume below about 60% and rest your ears after about 60 minutes.
• Use noise-cancelling headphones on planes and in noisy places, so you do not need to turn the volume up. Take them off when you walk or cycle near traffic.
• If someone next to you can hear your music, it is too loud.
• Wear earplugs or ear muffs at concerts, on building sites and with power tools.

Ringing or muffled hearing after a loud event is a warning sign, and repeated episodes add up. If it has not gone after a day or two, book a hearing check.

How do you protect your ears when flying or diving?

The Eustachian tube is a narrow channel between your middle ear and the back of your nose. It opens briefly when you swallow or yawn, so the pressure on both sides of the eardrum stays equal. When pressure changes fast and the tube stays shut, the ear feels blocked and can hurt.

On a plane

• Swallow, chew gum or suck a sweet during take-off and especially landing.
• Yawn, or pinch your nose and blow very gently with your mouth closed, to help the ears "pop".
• Give babies a feed, a bottle or a pacifier during take-off and landing.

When diving

• Equalise early and often, and go down slowly.
• Never force your ears. If they will not clear, go up a little and try again.
• If you feel sharp pain, dizziness or a change in hearing, end the dive slowly and safely.
• Do not dive with a cold or a blocked nose.

Mild fullness after landing usually fades within hours or a few days. If it hangs on, get it checked. Worsening pain, fluid leaking, hearing loss or dizziness after a dive needs a prompt check.

What is the safe way to clean your ears at home?

You only clean what you can see.

• Wash the outer ear and the skin behind it with warm water and mild soap in the shower.
• Wipe the opening of the canal with a soft, damp cloth over your finger, then dry gently.

Avoid ear candles and gadgets sold online, such as camera scoops and spiral cleaners. They can burn, scratch or block the ear. If you often feel full of wax, let a doctor check and choose a safe method.

How should you care for your child's ears?

Clean only the outer ear with a cloth, and never put buds inside a child's ear. If a bead or small toy ends up in your child's ear, leave it there and let a doctor remove it. Button batteries can burn the skin fast, so go to the emergency department at once. Our ENT emergencies in children page explains what needs urgent help. Watch for signs of poor hearing, such as turning the TV up or not answering when called, and see our pediatric ENT care page if you are worried.

When should you see an ear care doctor in Dubai?

Book a check if you notice:

• Ear pain lasting more than two or three days, or that keeps coming back.
• Discharge or a bad smell from the ear.
• A blocked feeling that does not clear after a few days.
• Ringing or buzzing that does not settle.
• Hearing that seems weaker, especially in one ear.
• Something stuck in the ear.

Seek urgent care if hearing suddenly fades in one ear, or you have a strong spinning feeling, a drooping face, high fever with ear pain, or swelling behind the ear. Sudden hearing loss needs a same-day review if possible, as early treatment can matter.

How Dr. Muhammad Jabbr can help

Dr. Jabbr starts by asking about your symptoms, swimming, headphone use, travel and past ear problems. He then examines your ear canal and eardrum. If your hearing seems affected, a hearing test may be advised.

He will explain the cause in plain words. The plan may be home-care advice, careful cleaning of the ear canal, or further treatment if a condition is found. Our ear specialist (otology) page covers the wider range of ear problems he treats. He holds MD, MS, DOHNS (England), European Board ORL-HNS and Arab Board ORL-HNS qualifications.

Book an appointment

Dr. Muhammad Jabbr sees patients at the ENT Department, Medcare Hospital, Hadiqa Street, Al Safa 1, Dubai. To arrange a visit, use the online booking page or phone +971 52 751 7811.

Frequently Asked Questions

Small habits, healthier ears

Good ear care is mostly about what you do not do. Leave the canal alone, keep it dry after swimming, turn the volume down and equalise gently when you fly or dive. If a problem does not settle, book a check with Dr. Muhammad Jabbr, an experienced ear care doctor in Dubai, so it can be sorted out early.