Tests have shown that it has antibacterial and antifungal properties. If your ears don't have enough earwax, they're likely to feel itchy and uncomfortable. But for many people, earwax is manifestly too much of a good thing. An ear canal plugged up with earwax can cause earaches, infections, and other problems.
If it gets lodged in a certain way, earwax can cause a cough by stimulating the branch of the vagus nerve that supplies the outer ear. And, not surprisingly, an excess of earwax can result in some loss of hearing. Guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery stress a let-it-be attitude toward earwax and warn against removal unless the earwax is causing a problem. Of course, sometimes it's difficult to tell if the wax is the source of a problem without removing it and seeing whether the problem goes away.
The medical term for earwax is cerumen pronounced seh-ROO-men , which comes from cera , Latin for wax. It starts as a mixture of fatty secretions from the sebaceous glands and sweat glands in the walls of the outer ear canal see illustration. Jaw movement from chewing or talking helps propel those secretions through the canal to the ear opening, where they dry up and harmlessly flake off.
Dead skin and other debris combine with secretions from sebaceous and modified sweat glands see inset to create earwax. Earwax that picks up a lot of debris or sits in the ear canal for a long time can get hard and dry, so it's more likely to cause a blockage.
Conditions that produce a lot of dry, flaking skin, like eczema, can also result in hard earwax. And with age, the glandular secretions change consistency, so they don't travel as easily through the ear canal. Some people are simply born producing dry earwax that may be more likely to clump. For example, dry earwax is more common in East Asians. You can get medical help to remove a blockage; earwax removal is the most common otolaryngologic procedure performed in American primary care settings.
Or you can take a do-it-yourself approach. The thing that many people do — but shouldn't — is try to remove the wax with a cotton swab, which tends to push the earwax back into the ear. If pharmacy treatment doesn't work, contact your GP surgery. They may suggest having your ears washed out.
If these treatments don't help, your GP may refer you to an ear, nose and throat ENT department for specialised treatment. Earwax can also block your ear if you frequently insert objects into your ear canal, such as cotton buds, ear plugs or hearing aids. Never try to remove a build-up of earwax yourself with your fingers, a cotton bud or any other object.
This can damage your ear and push the wax further down. If the earwax is only causing minor problems, you can try buying some eardrops from a pharmacy. Using drops may make your hearing or symptoms a little worse at first before getting better. These can help soften the earwax so that it falls out naturally. There are several different types of eardrops you can use, including drops containing sodium bicarbonate, olive oil or almond oil.
However, eardrops aren't suitable for everyone and some can irritate the skin. For example, eardrops shouldn't be used if you have a perforated eardrum a hole or tear in your eardrum. Earwax should only be removed if you have symptoms or discomfort. The three recommended methods of earwax removal by a trained professional include:. Removal of earwax, also known as earwax extraction, by a trained professional is relatively safe. However, rare complications may occur including:.
The following measures may help prevent the buildup of earwax. However, you should speak with your healthcare provider before trying them, especially if you have a history of ear problems:.
Earwax is a protective substance that most people make. Excessive earwax may be caused by the shape of an individual's ear, ear trauma, scar tissue, water buildup, improper removal methods, and high amounts of ear hair. Older individuals are also more likely to have higher amounts of earwax. Symptoms of excess earwax may include a cough, hearing loss, ear pain, and ear itchiness or a plugged feeling.
To remove earwax impaction, it's best to seek out a trained professional. They may use irrigation, cerumenolytic agents, or manual extraction to remove earwax safely.
Even though earwax is meant to protect you, a buildup of it can cause some intense discomfort, and at times even pain. Be sure to take care of your earwax in a safe and gentle way, and don't hesitate to touch base with your doctor for extra help. You may have hearing loss, more severe earaches, an ongoing cough, and an increased risk of infection. You can use over-the-counter products to soften earwax.
Mineral oil, baby oil, glycerin, Debrox a hydrogen peroxide solution , and saline solution can be used. Add a few drops into your ear. Once the wax is softened, use a syringe to wash out the solution and the softened wax with water. How much and what type of earwax you have is based on many factors. You may be more likely to make excess earwax if you use hearing aids or ear plugs regularly, have skin conditions, or try to clean your ears with cotton swabs.
Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. In the past, doctors used a metal syringe to irrigate the ear, which carried a slight risk of damage. Now, there are electronic ear irrigators that squirt a carefully controlled flow of water into the ear canal at body temperature. Pressure control keeps the initial pressure as low as possible.
It may be necessary to hold the ear at different angles to ensure that the liquid reaches every part of the ear canal. If the person has severely impacted earwax, the doctor may need to look inside the ear with an auriscope several times during the irrigation process.
Sometimes a person may report additional symptoms, in which case the doctor may investigate further to check whether there is an infection. If irrigation does not remove the wax, the individual may need to continue softening the earwax with drops and then repeat the irrigation. The doctor may put water in the ear for around 15 minutes before irrigating. Ear irrigation is not suitable for everyone in all circumstances. The procedure may be unsuitable if any of the following factors apply:.
Anyone who has had any problems, such as severe vertigo or pain, following previous irrigation should not undergo this procedure again. If irrigation is not an option or is unsuccessful, the doctor may recommend either microsuction or manual removal to clear the ear canal.
Manual removal may involve using a thin instrument with a small hoop at the end to clean the ear and scrape out any earwax. If the individual still has hearing problems or tinnitus after earwax removal, they may require a hearing loss test to check for other issues. It involves putting a hollow cotton or linen tube into the ear, lighting the end of it, burning it for around 15 minutes, and then pulling it out. In the stub of the candle, there will often be a substance that resembles earwax, but researchers have found no evidence to suggest that this procedure removes wax from the ear.
In fact, studies looking at this practice have shown that it removes no earwax at all. People who have tried it have also reported complications, such as burns, rupture of the eardrum, and candle wax or other blockages in the ear. Impacted earwax can lead to ear infections if a person does not get treatment. Very rarely, the infection may spread to the base of the skull and cause meningitis or cranial paralysis. Vertigo is also possible if the earwax pushes against the eardrum, or tympanic membrane.
This symptom can cause nausea and a sensation of moving even when a person is staying still. Impacted earwax can be frustrating, but it is usually easy to resolve with home remedies or medical treatment. People should first ask a pharmacist to recommend some ear drops.
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