Those headphones you’re keen on might be hazardous to your health.
The recognition of Apple’s AirPods Max reached fever pitch in 2023, with celebrities and web personalities alike conspicuously toting the oversized status symbols almost in all places, prompting the easily-influenced to expire and buy a pair of their very own.
But now, some former fans are saying they’ve suffered for style.
This week, Virginia-based creator Sarah Stusek complained of her painful, “disgusting” symptoms, blaming it on her AirPods Max headphones, purchased for a whopping $550.
“I keep waking up with the itchiest, wettest ear. It’s disgusting,” Stusek lamented in a TikTok video, while describing the sensation as “wet” with “discharge.”
She added: “It’s from my Apple headphones, like, the massive AirPod Maxes or regardless of the over-the-ear headphones are called.”
The Post has reached out to Stusek and Apple for comment.
Stusek isn’t isn’t the just one — a slew of dissatisfied customers are voicing their concerns in Apple’s Community Forums, complaining of infection-like ear symptoms that some are chalking as much as allergic reactions.
To treat her symptoms, Stusek put a boiling hot, damp paper towel in a cup, suctioning it to her ear. She claimed she could feel the soothing heat “pulling out” the presumed infection.
“I needed to stop using my airpods because they gave me an ear infection,” one user commented on Stusek’s TikTok.
“My ears are like this from my AirPods!” one other exclaimed.
“I take advantage of the large headphones too and have the identical issue!” another person chimed in.
Apple was recently sued for a “defect” within the AirPods Max headphones called “condensation death,” which allegedly allowed moisture to gather contained in the ear cups and disrupt the product’s performance.
While the lawsuit didn’t mention ear infections, Dr. Anthony Cornetta, an otolaryngologist at NYU Langone Huntington Medical Group, told The Post that “anything that traps moisture within the ear canal may cause inflammation” and, subsequently, infection.
“This could then result in a bacterial or a fungal external ear infection, just like a swimmers ear,” he said in a press release. “It might be with any product that covers the ear canal opening.”
While he doesn’t think there’s “any real concern” for wearers to don their favorite headphones, he warned that it might be more common in hot summer months as a result of sweating.
Keeping headphones clean can be key to maintaining ear health.
Studies have shown that headphones are crawling with microbes that would cause an infection, hence the necessity for keeping the tech clean and freed from ear wax and moisture.
Apple recommends to not use water and as an alternative wipe clean with a “soft, dry, lint-free cloth” unless the product has been exposed to soap, shampoo, lotion, perfumes, food or other substances. In that case, the corporate advises to wipe gentling with a rather damp cloth after which dry the headphones off.
Experts also recommend giving your ears a break from each headphones or earbuds — which also pose an infection risk — as prolonged use allows moisture and pathogens to fester.
“The simplest option to avoid the issue is to not cover the ear canal for an prolonged time frame,” Cornetta advised. “It’s all the time good to permit the ear to get air and ventilate.”
