Your ears are more than your personal antennas. They're also essential for maintaining balance, preventing infections, and regulating your body temperature. So when something goes horribly wrong—from an injury to an infection—you have a lot at stake. In addition to dialing down the volume on your iPhone, here's how you can dodge the most serious threats to your auricles. 

1. Not using protection.

"The worst thing you can do for your hearing is not wearing ear protection when you're exposed to loud noises as part of your job or recreation," says Matthew Parker Branch, M.D., an otolaryngologist in Corsicana, Texas. Inside your ears are tiny hairs that function as receptors for hearing. Extremely loud noises can break those hairs—and they don't grow back. "The best kind of ear protection is whatever kind you'll actually wear," Dr. Branch says. If you're around machines, cars, fireworks, music, or artillery, listen up: Earplugs are your first line of defense. Noise-blocking earmuffs work even better. But wearing the two together is best, according to a study in Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine. Put them on before you're in the noisy environment to avoid the possibility of sudden exposure without protection.

 

2. Wrestling.

MMA star Randy Couture may sport his deformed ear as proudly as his championship belt, but it's not exactly a look you can pull off in the 9-to-5 arena. Auricular hematoma, better known as "cauliflower ear," occurs when the tight attachment of the skin to the underlying cartilage separates and the space between fills with blood. "It's the quintessential wrestling injury," Dr. Branch says, and it can occur with any major blow to your ear. The good news: If you receive rapid treatment and have the blood drained from the pocket, it will spare you the look of a lumpy vegetable growing out of your head. 

3. Piercing the cartilage.

Your mom was right: It's not a good look on you. That's because piercings could set you up for perichondritis, a serious infection of the outer ear cartilage that could land you in the hospital. "There are only a few antibiotics available to treat it and most are given with an IV," Dr. Branch says. If you notice any signs of redness, tenderness, and swelling, remove the earring right away and have a doctor check it out. 

4. Using Q-tips.

Think they're made for excavating earwax? Think again. Researchers at Henry Ford Health System found that nearly 4 percent of cases of ruptured eardrums were caused by Q-tips. "You can actually perforate your eardrum enough to move the tiny bones inside, causing permanent loss of hearing or balance," Dr. Branch says. The cotton swab package actually states not to use the sticks in your ears. Short of rupturing your eardrum, a vigorous cleaning session could also scratch the ear canal, cause bleeding, and trigger an infection. While you're at it, avoid placing any solid object in your ear, like your fingernail, toothpicks, bobby pins, pens, car keys, or a wire hanger—Dr. Branch has seen it all.

5. Waiting it out.

If your hearing in one or both ears randomly goes M.I.A., contact your M.D. ASAP. "Issues such as an infection, inflammation, or decreased blood supply can cause sudden hearing loss," Dr. Branch says. Often, the only treatment and hope of restoring hearing is with high-dose steroids, but they need to be administered as quickly as possible to avoid permanent damage. "We see this issue occur several times per year, and if it's too late, there's nothing we can do to help besides cochlear implants or hearing aids," he adds.

6. Using eardrops.

Over-the-counter eardrops seem harmless enough—helpful, even—if you're dealing with a case of swimmer's ear. Not so fast: For some people, drops can cause deafness—and you may not even know you're at risk. The American Academy of Otolaryngology recently updated its treatment guidelines for swimmer's ear (a.k.a. otitis externa) and other ear infections to say you should first confirm with your doctor that you don't have a perforated eardrum before using the meds. You just might have a hole in your eardrum.

7. Breaking a diving rule.

The most common diving injury isn't a run-in with a shark or decompression illness. It's barotrauma. The condition occurs when you ascend too quickly and you're unable to equalize the pressure inside your ear, which can cause your eardrum to rupture. The rule of thumb when diving is to rise at a rate of 60 feet per minute or slower. You may also be at risk of barotrauma if you're diving with an upper respiratory infection, which also makes it difficult to equalize the pressure in your ears. (The same is true for flying with a cold.) "If you're having trouble clearing or popping your ears, use two sprays of a decongestant nasal spray like Afrin in each nostril 30 minutes before a dive or takeoff," Dr. Branch says.