Drainage and itching when using AirPods Pro

Sadly- I’m on my third (yes, THIRD) pair of AirPod Pros, second set of Comply foam tips (tried different sizes in case it made a difference) and after 6 months, I’m ready to give up. My ears itch, hurt, flake, ooze and I’m putting antibiotic drops in every so often to keep the symptoms from getting worse. Sadly I’m starting to get the sense I’m just allergic the nickel in the Airpod Pros themselves. I’ve never had this issue before with regular Airpods. If anyone else has any ideas please let me know. I hate that I just burned $250 on these. For everyone else, here’s a great article on the allergies people are experiencing: https://appletoolbox.com/allergic-airpods-pro/amp/

1. So glad I found this discussion. I’ve been trying to figure out what is going on with my ears. I have itching, crusting, flaking, pain and drainage. I thought I had some type of dermatitis I picked up and have been treating the inside of my ears for a few months. It started after I had the AirPods Pro a month or so and I thought I had touched something then transferred it to the AirPods Pro then to my ears. I completely cleaned them but my ears hurt too much when I wore them I had to stop wearing them to let my ears heal, only they didn’t heal completely so I started using my old AirPods while they did and they finally had stopped draining and were only slightly crusting but didn’t get worse. Today I had to be on a Zoom meeting at work and decided to use my AirPods Pro again for the noise canceling. I only wore them for 45 minutes and within 30 minutes after taking them out, my ears started to drain, itch and swell. Within an hour my ears were almost swollen shut and my hearing sounded like I still had cotton in my ears. It became really painful. My first thought was that I hadn’t been able to clean them well enough to remove whatever I was getting an allergic reaction to so I cleaned my ears with peroxide and applied cortisone cream. They continued to swell really bad so I took a Benadryl and finally after 2 hours the swelling is starting to go down but they are still swollen and draining. While I’m extremely upset the AirPods Pro are what has caused my ear problems and the fact that Apple has been made aware of it and chosen to ignore everyone that has posted here at least I now know the cause and won’t be using them again and will make sure everyone I know hears about it. Hopefully my ears will heal completely soon.

The same thing happened to me. It started with itching, scabbing, shedding then the clear oozy drainage started. Used neosporin for a bit and it didn’t help. I finally went to doc and was prescribed antibiotics drops for a double ear infection. I switched over to my Bose headphones for a few weeks til my ears healed. Went back to AirPod pros for a week and the itching and scabbing came back. I read a few different threads and it looks like some people are allergic to the silicone tips on the AirPod pros. I ordered a pair of comply foam ones from Amazon and will see how I do with them after I wait for my ears to heal (again, ugh).

My theory is that it is not the tips (for me at least). I think I am getting an allergic reaction from something further out on the AirBuds Pros than the tips. This was not obvious, which is why I tried Comply tips and another brand of tips. A big clue: my Etymotics earbuds with silicone tips do not cause this reaction. Now, I think it is something in the plastic further up the AirBuds from the tip.

Over-the-counter hydrocortisone lotion helps tame the reaction, but I would have to apply it every time I wore the AirPod Pros.

I had a similar issue with AirPods Max, which I received for Christmas: a severe allergic reaction consistent with the symptoms for allergic contact dermatitis, probably caused by the acrylates or methacrylates used in the AirPods. As they were purchased in the Apple Store, which is now closed for lockdown, I had to arrange a return with Apple Support.

I did order these tips on Amazon and have been using them regularly for the past month with no more issues. It seems to have helped my ears - hope it will help other that are having the same issues -

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088KPNKN2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Never improved for me and I’ve been desperately trying for the past 7 months to make these work so I don’t waste $250. My ears are getting worse and I worry about permanent damage if I keep this up. Not worth losing my hearing. I spoke to Apple again and they said some users experience allergies to the nickel in the mesh of the AirPod pros. They also cannot let users exchange for other products. Mine are going into the trash.

Yeah - you would totally think that Apple would do something with all of us having the same issues?? Anyway - the only way I could still use the Airpod Pro's without having ear issues was by purchasing these two items. They have helped stop the issues and allow me to use the Airpods. Here's the links -

Proof Labs Airpod Pro Ear Hook Covers https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0844WPDY5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Comply foam earbud tips - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0844WPDY5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hope this helps others.

The Comply tips did help - I only get a very little drainage now and I think it’s because I’m using them approx 8 hours per day (4 hrs each ear).

That’s what I thought too (prolonged wear) but the symptoms got pretty severe and I ended up with a double ear infection. Apparently some people are allergic to AirPod pros (either silicone tip or material). Check out this article: https://appletoolbox.com/allergic-airpods-pro/amp/

I've been having this same problem as well, but only after getting the first ones replaced. I had the original versions that came out for a while with no issue. The first ones lost their clear coat after about two weeks and eventually had a matte finish. I returned them during the recall and have been using the replacement ones for about six months now. The clear coat is still intact on this set after five months, but I get severe itching and liquid out after about an hour of use. I even went to the doctor two weeks ago for a severe outer ear infection. I now believe it's the chemicals in the clear coat causing the allergic reaction (smells like nail polish). I think I'll sell these and get the new Sonys.

Ugh- sorry you are going through this. It’s the worst. If your ears don’t get better go see a doctor. I ended up with a double ear infection and had to get prescription antibiotic drops. I still attempted to wear the AirPod pros after my ears were healed because I didn’t want to waste them. I continued to get flareups. For small flareups prescription hydrocortisone cream helps but that’s not the answer. Apple sent me their disclaimer that states the irritants in their product so I guess that’s their fail safe. Sucks.

I stopped using them all together and just bought the beats studio buds that were released. It’s been two weeks and so far, no issues!

I'm sorry to hear that this is happening to you. This is the information that Apple support sent me. They would not let me exchange for a different product, only like for like. I was on my third pair of AirPod pros and 7 months in by the time I gave up.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211158

Thanks Keithski. The Proof Labs hooks seem to be working for me as well. Didn’t use my airpods for a year due to allergic reactions but I tried them again with the ear hooks and haven’t had any allergic reactions so far. As some people mentioned, it’s probably not the silicone that’s causing the problem but likely the black mesh. Whatever it is, seems like the ear hooks are shielding my ears from it. The silicone tips are still touching my ears but no issues so far after 2 days of using them. I also did a test by removing the silicone tip and putting it in my ear for 15 min and didn’t have a reaction. But I remember using the AirPods Pro before with the silicone tips removed and still had a reaction.

I ended up going to the doctor twice for treatment before I put the cause - AirPods Pro - and effect together. I gave away my Pros. I went back to an older pair of plain AirPods and have no problem.