Allergic to AirPod Pro eartips

I, too, experienced fluid drainage and inflammation/redness in my ear canal. I switched from an android phone to apple by request of my family. I loved my Samsung earbuds and was hoping the Apple AirPods Pro would be as comfortable and have the same sound quality. I really wanted to like them but I must be allergic to the silicone tip. I began to notice fluid drainage from my ears….more noticeably on the side I chose to keep in for phone calls. I developed the most painful ear infection that was diagnosed as swimmers ear….yet I don’t swim. I thought maybe it was allergies or water getting in my ear from daily showering that might have been the cause but I finally realized that every time I tried to use the new Apple pods I immediately experienced irritation. 😢

I picked up the Beats studio buds at Costco and they don’t seem to bother me (much). They are actually $30 off til 4/3/22 through Costco ($120). I picked these up because the Beats Fit Pro were not available in-store. I think I would like the ear hook because some of the irritation is from the actual tip putting pressure in my ear, and I don’t think they’ve fully healed or become desensitized after my numerous bouts of reaction to the APP. They get a little itchy, but not weepy and inflamed like what happens after 30 mins in the APP. Only issue I see is they have a more underwater sound even in transparency mode, and a louder ambient noise hiss (otherwise they sound great). I may pick up the Beats Fit Pro another time, maybe they will go on sale sometime too 😁

For the record though, for those of you who find this thread and haven’t been following along, I already have a nickel allergy, and the APP didn’t really bother me at first, but did over time. Now I use them for 15 mins and I’m itching later. I even got those silicone earbud cover/hook and swapped out the tip for a foam one and still had problems. Who’s to say what’s in those cheap Chinese accessories too.

I've purchased and been using these for about 2 months and can say it's a significant improvement! It may not 100% cure/fix the irritation, but it has been significant. Given the past history I'm still not pushing it by wearing them all day (not that I did before either) or anything. I have been on several hour calls, or watching something and am very happy with the results. I can at least continue to use my AirPod Pros which I love.

I still occasionally put a little dab of cortizone cream on my ears after, but again it's probably paranoia more than anything else.

AZLA SednaEarfit XELASTEC for Airpods Pro / 3 Pairs (Size M/ML/L 3Pr) -- was the Amazon listing.

(Sorry this was a reply to an earlier post showing similar results and same XELASTEC tips)

I've been dealing with the same issue as well, and actually already commented on this here a year or so ago. I also initially thought that the issue was with the silicone tips. Invested in foam tips, bla bla bla. . . But then the AP 3rd generation came out, and they don't have any tips, but I had the same reaction. I stopped using them, with much sadness in my heart, and stuck to the AP 2nd Gen. which weirdly enough do not give me an allergic reaction. However, I regulary go online to see if a solution has been found. Today I stumbled upon this on Reddit:

"You probably allergic to the acrylates that Apple uses as a glue, just expose the AirPods to strong light source for a couple of hours (overnight would be sufficient too) to cure remnants of uncured acrylates then wipe them down. Cured acrylates are less allergenic. Do that and let me know if worked."

Someone responded to this post and apparently it works. So, I will give this a try while keeping my fingers crossed. Wish me luck.

Copying an pasting from Reddit:

"I cured my AirPods 3 using a regular desk lamp for a couple of hours. Remember that orthodontist and dentists cure acrylates using a very strong light for few seconds. Your nail curing lights would do the trick, similar to the dentist’s toy. But don’t forget to wipe them down afterwards. Before discovering this trick my ears would go hot and itchy if I used my AirPods for 20 minutes. I had the same reaction a year ago when I first got AirPods Pro before returning them. I thought the Gen 3 would be better option, as I thought the problem was due to silicone tips. But when I got the same reaction with AP3, I dug deeper in the issue until I discovered the acrylates problem. The acrylate used in AirPods is methacrylate, I’m not sure if that would be as severe allergenic to you as cyanoacrylate, but apparently not, as you used the AirPods Pro already without needing to get steroid injection."

I spoke with an apple consultant and he told me the air pod tips aren’t silicone, but they are rubber. I am not allergic to silicone but I am to rubber. I have tried replacement tips for my airpods pro but I still have a reaction. I ended up just pulling the rubber tips off and I’m using them without the rubber tips. So far, this is working well! Hope this helps somebody, good luck!

Ah that’s great news, so they stay in with no tips for you?

I think (still not 100%) that treating them with light is helping me, been trying with just one ear at a time to see if reacts..so far so good

id had the issue with foam tips as well as original, but am back with the foam tips again.

YES! I have the same issues with the eartips of the AirPod Pro. I did go to the ear doctor about it. It was definitely a contact dermatitis. This renders the close to $300.00 equipment useless. Apple, or someone needs to make hypoallergenic eartips for the AirPod Pro. I use my Bose sport buds, with no problem.

I unfortunately still had an issue with the Beats Fit Pro. They are supposedly putting a new Air Pod pro this summer will give them a try and return if they cause problems luckily I know after only wearing them for a short period one time by that night a next morning I know if I have a problem.

I would honestly try putting them under a bright light for a few hours and giving them a good clean, I think it might have worked for me, and I suffered really bad with them…ears weeping after an hour of use.

so far I’ve not had that at all, still just trying one at a time at the moment, but I’m fairly confident that has done the trick.

Yep, this seems to work for me as well. First time, I put them under my desk lamp all day. Tried them on for an hour or so, after wiping them off thoroughly. Althoug my ears were no longer weeping, they were still itchy. I decided to put them on the window sill, directly in the sun for a whole day. Haven't had a problem since. Might not work for everybody, but seems to work for me.

Preface: This is just my experience---- and maybe not the same for everyone. Just thought I'd give an update to the issue.

Hey Folks, Sooooo I've basically been dealing with the same issues most here have. Started out with issues (itching, weeping, crusting, etc) with my ears. I probably used AirPods Pros for about a year before this started----no problems ever.

AirPods Pros - Itching, Weeping Crusting - Changed the ear tips... Same problem.

AirPods Gen 3 - Slight itching----but had ear cartilage pain...bad enough to cause me to go back to my ENT doc.

(In each case, I was prescribed cream and/or drops to clear up the problem... This has successfully helped each time)

AirPods Max - No problems so far.... Keeping fingers crossed.

Sooooo, not really sure why this started. Been seeing my ENT doctor----and he mentioned that problems like this can be very hard to diagnose and find the root cause. Some of the things that could be problems: Material allergy, body/skin PH changes, interactions with medications, age, time wearing in-ear audio gear, etc.

He mentioned that in his experience, over the ear headphones 'sometimes' can be a more healthy choice for ear/hearing health, especially if someone develops issues with in-ear headphones. Also, regularly using oil-based ear drops to help with itching, etc. There are actually over-the-counter ear drops that are supposed to help people who use in-ear headphones, hearing-aids, etc.

AirPods Max's ---work good for general listening enjoyment....but, I'm not going to use the in the gym or working out. My doctor recommended "Bone Conduction" headphones----the sound quality isn't near as good; but, shouldn't cause the same problems as in-ear gear. They are also reasonably cheap....and probably OK for exercising, etc. I know it's not a perfect answer---buuuuuut, if it helps, it helps.

I was able to clean and give my AirPods Pro to another family member.... I was able to return my AirPods Gen 3 to my local Best Buy where I purchased them....they were in the 14-day return policy. I was able to get the the AirPods Max on sale----sooo not too bad.

Anyway, I hope this insight into my problem helps... Again, this is just my personal experience-----and not applicable to everyone. Moving forward, I'll let everyone know if I have some kind of crazy reaction to my AirPods Max phones..... so far so good. Thanks Everyone!

My experience exactly. I wear the APP for only 20 mins before getting hot, VERY itchy ears with copious clear discharge so I stop wearing them immediately. Discharge, itch and crusting can last for days, clears with cortisone (ie allergy, not infection, is the cause. I've been lucky enough not to get a secondary bacterial infection from trying to clean the discharge - which soon becomes so severe that it drains out and down my cheek). I put them away and don't wear them for weeks, sometimes months, then think "maybe they'll be OK this time......" so I clean them as recommended and put them in, and sure enough, within 20 mins, my ear canals are wet again. Same whether ANC on or off. I've never had a problem with other brands of in-ear for over 10 years.

I had no idea that the problem was so widespread till I googled it in desperation. I'm really unhappy with Apple's lack of response or even any evidence of concern/taking it seriously. An added disclaimer is not evidence of caring. Having to go to the doctor every time you use one of their products says to me that the product is certainly not 'fit for purpose'., but when I complained about the problem in person at an apple store (genius bar) I was brushed off with "really? I've never heard of anyone else having that problem... must be dirty tips... try cleaning them......." which I now realise was likely to have been a straight-out deliberate attempt to avoid helping me.

That’s exactly how mine was mate, and I share your wanting to try again because ultimately they are a great product, functionally at least.

have you tried putting them under a strong light for a couple of hours, and repeating for the other side, then give them a good clean?

I’m keen to know whether this helps anyone else as it did seem to for me.

Just adding my name to this list.

I was using Airpods Pro for 3-4 months. And one night Itching in my ear woke me up at and wouldn’t go away. Once I stopped using Airpod Pro the itching went away. I only had extreme itching inner ear, no swelling or drainage.

I’ve Used earbuds before, never had this problem. My classmate as well, has an itchy ear after using Airpods Pro.

Got Airpods 3, but they have a terrible fit, and not the greatest sound quality, to the point that I don’t even want to listen to my fav music in them. Returning them today.

Switching back to Airpods 2, or maybe Airpod Max.

Apple, what is going on???

p.s. Don’t know if it is connected or not, but after Airpods Pro i became very sensitive to loud noise, to a point it is a bit painful. But this is probably simply due to overuse and listening to loud music. Protect your ears, people.