# hydrogen peroxide sizzle



## Paul Wheaton (May 10, 2002)

what makes hydrogen peroxide sizzle?

I have an outer ear infection and a friend suggested hydrogen peroxide. This is my first experience with it. It sizzled a lot and she said that thats the sound of it eating away the infected stuff. I've done two treatments and still have an infection and my friend says I need more treatments. My ear feels a bit raw now. 

Will that stuff sizzle as it eats the skin?


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

It gives off oxygen as it re-acts to stuff, mostly germs.

It sterilizes just like chorline does. Kills germs and basteria really good.

People who are sensitive to chlorine use h2o2 instead.


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## seedspreader (Oct 18, 2004)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_peroxide

Enjoy!



> Hydrogen peroxide often decomposes exothermically into water and oxygen gas spontaneously:
> 
> 2 H2O2 &#8594; 2 H2O + O2 + Energy
> 
> This process is very favourable; it has a &#916;Ho of &#8722;98.2 kJ/mol and a &#916;Go of &#8722;119.2 kJ/mol. The rate of decomposition is dependent on the temperature and concentration of the peroxide, as well as the pH and the presence of impurities and stabilizers.


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## BlueRidge (Aug 23, 2005)

The sizzle is the bubbling of oxygen as the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) breaks down into water (H2O). As the oxygen molecules break off, they gather together into bigger & bigger bubbles, and finally are big enough to bubble up out of the solution.

H2O2 won't usually bubble if it is just put on your skin. However, if it comes in contact with any breaks in the skin, or other bodily excretions, it will begin to break down, hence the bubbling.

Since your ear feels a bit raw, I'd suggest you lay off. It can give you a chemical 'burn', and you don't need that.

If you have some garlic oil in capsules, you might give that a try. Just puncture the capsule and drop it in your ear.


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## countrygrrrl (Aug 4, 2003)

I use hydrogen peroxide once a week or every other week to keep the wax down. You don't want to use it too much because it can do a kind of chemical burn, like BlueRidge says. However, once a week or so won't hurt you.

If you have swimmer's ear, it can make it worse --- you need to figure out if that's what you have. That's because it doesn't "dry out" and can remain as liquid in the ear, therefore complicating the problems of swimmer's ear. At least that's my experience. Some docs, like the people at harvard  suggest using alcohol after hydrogen peroxide to dry the ear out. I do just that every few weeks because I had constant swimmer's ear as a kid and don't want to go that way again. Yeelch.

Let your ear heal before you put any more hydrogen peroxide in there. You probably didn't hurt anything, but you don't want to complicate things.


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## MrPG (Oct 9, 2005)

I would suggest a mixture of vinegar, iodine and a small amount of rubbing alcohol, provided there is no break in the skin. Just plain white distilled vinegar if there is nothing else. The acid will kill germs but is not strong enough to hurt you otherwise.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

It reacts with proteins, if I remember sophomore biology correctly. Your skin has a protective barrier of oils, so that's why it doesn't foam unless there's a cut.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

We used to keep a big bottle at the machine shop to pour on all the frequent metal cuts everybody got. We just assumed the bubbles were from the dying germs screaming.


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

.......................Well , you could stick a wick in each ear , let the wax buildUP and simply lite Up :help: every time you need to poddy . Or , you could maybe work partime at a monestary(sp) while they translate whatever into Latin . Course , you'd have to shave your head so your cranium wouldn't catch on fire  .....I think this is what happened to poor old george bush while he was in the Skull and Earwax society at Yale . fordy...  :dance:


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## longrider (Jun 16, 2005)

one shouldnt use straight Hydrogen Peroxide in the ear. use a half water and half peroxide solution in your ear. it wont burn you then and the disinfecting quality is retained. dont worry about the bubbles, they will only tickle. be sure and move the ear around a bit to work the fluid down in the ear real good. by the time the bubbles stop fizzing you can sit up and drain it all into a tissue. the peroxide will break down some of the wax which is good. repeat this once a day for three or four days.


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## Quint (Nov 12, 2004)

If you ever happen on a quantity of high concentration industrial type hydrogen peroxide make sure to snag it. All sorts of interesting uses for it. Very dangerous however so be very careful handling it or you will end up wishing your father had never met your mother.


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## BlueRidge (Aug 23, 2005)

Ed Norman said:


> We just assumed the bubbles were from the dying germs screaming.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Been there and done that! Swimmers ear is painful and recurrent....I too tried peroxide on it as a teenager.....you can get drops from the doc and one bottle will last all year....best advice I can give is to keep inner ear as dry as possible...ear plugs when swimming and showering. I have also had ruptured ear drums from infections.....very painful....worse than childbirth....and it happened once while driving with 3 kids in the car coming down from Sugarloaf MTN. blood and puss dripping out my ears.....ewwwww!


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## peanutgreen (Oct 25, 2003)

Doctor told me to mix H2O2 half and half with hot water; if it's at body temp when you put it in your ear, it's less uncomfortable. Afterward put a couple drops of olive oil in your ear. You can use a heating pad on low heat to help with the pain of an ear infection (see webMD)-it does help.


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## Country Doc (Oct 26, 2005)

Doesn't kill germs that well. Can be useful mixed with 50% water to clean debris out of wounds. I like rubbing alcohol to prevent swimmer's ear. Never put fluids in an ear that may have a ruptured eardrug such as a kid with tubes or a otitis media that has ruptured the eardrum.


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## BlueRidge (Aug 23, 2005)

mpillow said:


> it happened once while driving with 3 kids in the car coming down from Sugarloaf MTN. blood and puss dripping out my ears.....ewwwww!



Wellll, THANK YOU for that vivid mental picture!


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## cricket (Dec 15, 2004)

If you have an outer ear infection, peroxide isn't going to do you a bit of good and in fact is probably hindering the healing process. You need antibiotics NOW! There is no successful topical treatment for outer ear infections. 

Also, if you have an inner ear infection, you can cause lesions with the use of peroxide straight.

If you want a good preventative recipe the mix 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 peroxide, and 1/3 baby oil. Swam for 15 yrs competitively and this kept the infections at bay. My kids use it and in the beginning of the season, so do I.


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## BlueRidge (Aug 23, 2005)

cricket said:


> If you have an outer ear infection, peroxide isn't going to do you a bit of good and in fact is probably hindering the healing process. You need antibiotics NOW! There is no successful topical treatment for outer ear infections.



Depends on the severity of the infection. We've had good success with garlic oil. There's a product called "Ear Oil" that has garlic oil and a few other things. It has worked pretty well for us.

An ACUTE infection may need the big guns - antibiotics.


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## rickd203 (Sep 11, 2005)

BlueRidge said:


> Wellll, THANK YOU for that vivid mental picture!


One of my jobs as an Air Force medic was to clean the wax and STUFF out of patient's ears so that the doctors could check the eardrum. I could tell you stories that would definitely peg your ewwwwwwwww meter. 

If anyone has an experience like mpillow, the best thing to do is to turn around and go back up at the first sign of pain or pressure in your ears. When you get back up the mountain, take a decongestant pill or spray, wait 20 minutes and try coming back down. If you still have problems, you could try coming back down and stop when you feel pain. Pull over to the side of the road and wait to see if the pain stops. If it stops, try going down a little farther. If it doesn't stop or gets worse, go back up and get medical attention.

This is an inner ear problem. If you were on Sugarloaf MTN (probably skiing) and got sinus congestion it must have also caused the Eustachian tube(s)to become blocked. This trapped the air in your inner ear and when you came down from the mountain, it expanded and the increased pressure blew out your eardrum. This condition actually caused a pilot that we were treating for a cold to crash and die. He was medically grounded but still managed to get into a single seat jet trainer.

If you have swimmers ear or too much wax in your ear, a mild hydrogen peroxide solution is generally OK but antibiotics are a definite NO NO !! Taking antibiotics for an outer ear infection would be like taking an antibiotic for athletes foot; completely useless. If there are any bacteria in your bloodstream (and there usually are) you risk developing a antibiotic-resistant massive super infection. The CDC has been warning doctors for years against prescribing antibiotics unless they are treating a bacterial infection that is confirmed by lab testing.

My ears are crystal clean and clear. The medical students enjoy looking in my ears because you can actually see the little bones on the other side of my eardrum. It's actually easy to get them that clean. When you take a shower, after you wash the shampoo out of your hair, just tilt your head and let the water stream run straight into your ear. It feels strange the first after that it actually feels real good. You would be surprised how much STUFF can collect in someone's ears and they are completely unaware. If you like swimming in lakes, rivers, ocean, etc. it is easy for stuff to get in your ears and stay there. Working in dusty and dirty conditions will also eventually cause a buildup. 


Rick


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## Country Doc (Oct 26, 2005)

Ear canal is external ear. You get swimmer's ear there .Treated with ear drops, antibiotics, and occasionally a wick and cleaning. Middle ear infection is what kids get and they get oral antibiotics, makes your ears pop in a plane and connects to the tubes. Inner ear rarely gets infected and usually is viral, makes you dizzy and vomit similar to severe motion sickness.


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## pickapeppa (Jan 1, 2005)

> The medical students enjoy looking in my ears because you can actually see the little bones on the other side of my eardrum. It's actually easy to get them that clean.


A couple years ago I had trouble with recurring ear infections (after a case of pneumonia). First it was in one ear, then that cleared up and it was in the other ear. Well, I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned with one of those bulb syringes and warm/hot water until the water came out clear. It was kind of disgusting. I won't tell you how many times I had to drain the sink and fill it up with fresh water. 

Anyhow, I had been seeing the doctor for it. When he checked my ears the last time he got all excited and explained they had a med student and could she come look at my ear because it was so clean. I had to laugh. But he was serious. He said they rarely get the opportunity to see the type of infection I had, or to see in an ear as clean. 

Well, at least once in my life, I've left a good impression.  

Thanks for all the warnings and details about peroxide. I tried this on a lingering ear fluid problem this summer to no avail. What finished it off was when we got the pool and I went swimming in chlorinated water. That cleared it right up. Haven't had a problem since.


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## Bayside (Sep 23, 2005)

rickd203 said:


> When you take a shower, after you wash the shampoo out of your hair, just tilt your head and let the water stream run straight into your ear. It feels strange the first after that it actually feels real good. You would be surprised how much STUFF can collect in someone's ears and they are completely unaware..
> Rick


Rick, I'm guilty of doing this all the time. 
I know nothing about Swimmers Ear. Are you saying that this practice of letting water go inside the ear wont contribute to getting it?


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## lilrose (Feb 7, 2005)

hydrogen Peroxide on raw skin is a BAD thing. As a nurse, I can tell you we NEVER use full stregnth H2O2. Ever. And we hardly ever use it diluted in half with saline either. Not anymore. 
H2O2 is what we call cytotoxic, meaning it is deadly to delicate tissue.
If you have a sore that is not infected and put the stuff on it, you are eating your healthy new cells up.
In a survival scenario, if you have nothing else and need to clear an infection, it might be worth trying, especially watered down. But, in this case, you really need to see a doc and find out what is going on.


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## rickd203 (Sep 11, 2005)

This is from the webMD site:

Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work 
--From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), October 31, 2005


Snort. Sniffle. Sneeze. No Antibiotics Please! 

Are you aware that colds, flu, and most sore throats and bronchitis are caused by viruses? Did you know that antibiotics do not help fight viruses? It's true. Plus, taking antibiotics when you have a virus may do more harm than good. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed increases your risk of getting an infection later that resists antibiotic treatment.

If You Have a Cold or Flu, Antibiotics Won't Work For You!

Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses such as: 


Colds or flu; 
Most coughs and bronchitis; 
Sore throats not caused by strep; or 
Runny noses. 

Taking antibiotics for viral infections, such as a cold, cough, the flu, or most bronchitis,will not: 


Cure the infections; 
Keep other individuals from catching the illness; or 
Help you feel better. 

Even in children according to webMD, Antibiotics are only effective 20% of the time and you increase the risk of your child developing a bacteria resistant infection. There are a few situations where antibiotics may be required for ear infections in children. There is a wealth if information in webMD about ear infections and any other medical topic.

The only thing I questioned was where they said that blocked eustachian tubes were rare in adults. I had to go out to a field and pick up the pieces of a young pilot that crashed because of the pain and dizziness after his eardrums blew out. I also had a similar problem during my altitude chamber training. Fortunately I am very good at moving air in and out of my middle ear so I was able to avoid having my eardrum (tympanic membrane) rupture (barely).


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## rickd203 (Sep 11, 2005)

Bayside said:


> Rick, I'm guilty of doing this all the time.
> I know nothing about Swimmers Ear. Are you saying that this practice of letting water go inside the ear won't contribute to getting it?


This was recommended to me by a USAF Senior Flight Surgeon. As a child, I spent as much time as I could at the lake. Even the best lakes around here have silt and other stuff that collected in my ears over the years. It was embarrassing how much stuff came out when they cleaned them. Since my first assignment was at a flight training base, I had to clean out the ears of well over 100 student pilots. some were so bad that their entire ear canal was filled. It's amazing that they could even hear anything.  

As long as the water coming out of your tap isn't muddy, rust colored, smells strange or unfit to drink, it isn't going to cause swimmers ear. Exactly the opposite. Now after I come back from swimming in the lake I make sure that I take a shower and use my handheld showerhead to thoroughly clean my ears. I haven't a problem with swimmers ear in over 20 years.

:cowboy:


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## Bayside (Sep 23, 2005)

Good to know. Thanks rickd203


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