Ear discharge: what it means and what to do
Fluid coming out of your ear can be alarming. Often it is just wax or water, but discharge can also mean an infection or a burst eardrum. The colour, the smell and how it started are the best clues.
What is coming out, and from where.
Ear discharge, sometimes called otorrhoea, is any fluid that comes out of the ear. It can come from the ear canal itself, for example when the skin is infected or inflamed, or from the middle ear behind the eardrum, if the eardrum has a hole in it.
Wax is the most common thing people notice, especially when it is soft or melts in a warm shower. Discharge that is runny, sticky, coloured, smelly or bloody, or that comes with pain or a change in your hearing, is a different matter and needs checking.
Wax can look runny when warm. No pain and no hearing change is reassuring.
This often means infection or a perforated eardrum, and should be seen by a GP.
Common causes of ear discharge.
The ear canal is sore, itchy and swollen, with a weepy or thick discharge.
Read about swimmer's earPain builds after a cold, then eases suddenly as discharge appears.
Read about perforated eardrumSoft or melting wax is the most common harmless cause.
Read about earwax build-upClear, weepy fluid with itching and flaky skin.
Read about itchy earsA scratch from a cotton bud or a fingernail, or something pushed into the ear.
Rare. A smelly discharge that keeps coming back, often from one ear, with hearing loss.
Read about cholesteatomaWhat the colour usually means.
- Brown, orange or dark yellow, waxy: usually earwax, especially if it is sticky or crumbly.
- Clear and watery: often water after a shower, or weeping from eczema in the ear canal. Clear fluid after a head injury is different and needs emergency care.
- Yellow or green, thick: usually infection, either in the ear canal or behind a perforated eardrum.
- White, grey or black flecks: can be a fungal infection of the ear canal.
- Blood or blood-stained: often a scratch in the canal or a burst eardrum. Bleeding after an injury needs medical advice.
- Smelly, and coming back again and again: should be checked by a GP, as long-term middle ear problems such as cholesteatoma can cause this.
These are general patterns, not a diagnosis. The only way to know what is causing discharge is to have the ear examined.
Keep it dry, and get it looked at.
Wipe the outside of the ear gently with a clean tissue. Do not push cotton wool or cotton buds into the canal.
Avoid swimming, and keep water out of the ear when you wash your hair, until it has been checked.
Do not put oils or drops in a discharging ear unless a pharmacist or doctor has told you to, in case the eardrum is perforated.
Most discharge needs a proper look to find the cause. If we see it at an appointment, we will advise who to see and write to your GP.
Get urgent help if
- Clear fluid, or blood, comes from the ear after a head injury
- You have a high temperature, severe pain, or swelling behind the ear
- You have a severe headache, a stiff neck or confusion
- Your face becomes weak on one side
- You have sudden hearing loss or severe dizziness
Go to A&E or call 999 after a head injury. For the other symptoms, contact NHS 111 or your GP urgently.
Frequently asked questions.
Often it is not. Wax and water are common and harmless. Discharge that is coloured, smelly or bloody, or comes with pain, a temperature or a change in hearing, should be checked by a GP.
Clear fluid is often water after a shower or weeping from eczema in the canal. If it follows a head injury, go to A&E straight away.
Not until the cause has been found and treated. Discharge can mean infection or a perforated eardrum, so it needs checking first. Once it has settled, wax can be removed safely.
A bad smell usually means infection. A smell that keeps returning, especially from one ear with hearing loss, should be checked by your GP.
Usually, yes. Most hearing loss from infection or a small perforation recovers as the ear heals. A hearing test a few weeks later confirms it.
Check your hearing once it has healed.
A free hearing test in our Birmingham clinic, or a home visit across the West Midlands.
Ear infectionsPerforated eardrumSwimmer's earCholesteatomaAll ear conditions
Written and clinically reviewed by our HCPC registered audiologists. Last reviewed: 15 October 2026. This page is general information, not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your hearing or your ears, book an appointment or speak to your GP.