The doctor says the only solution is to operate and to remove the cartilage in the ear, making the ear canal bigger so that air can flow through the canal, making it dry, and clearing up the moistness, causing the eczema or fungus. My approach to such patients is, first, to clean their ear canals as thoroughly as possible and to get them on an appropriate antibiotic or antifungal ear drop. It is critical that the patient avoids getting any other water in the ear canal. This may be all that your mother needs to do. On the other hand, if she continues to have infections despite following this advice, she may indeed need an operation.
Ear cartilage continues to grow throughout our lives.
This leads to the problems you have described, as well as wax impaction and hearing loss. The operation to correct this condition is called a meatoplasty . Your mother should ask her doctor if this is what he is planning to do. It can also be performed in the office under local anesthesia. I prefer the former method for my patients.