They always are dry inside. I had evidently made a sore on the outside of my ear canal and the whole right ear became itchy. I put tea tree oil on it and it started leaking and got painful. Now both ears are leaky, itchy, painful, and I feel heat coming from them. I have also tried triple antibiotic ointment with the same result. My ears have a film covering even with washing them with antibacterial soap 2x a day. the liquid is yellow that is leaking. They are also dry and cracked. I haven t used anything for a couple of days and is slightly better with just washing. Total time has been about a week