When it’s time to get your ears cleaned!
I’m sure most of you will have been told the old phrase before “not to put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear” and there is a lot of truth to that! However, this leaves people very perplexed as to how they are meant to know that they have earwax and then how they are meant to get it out. Emma Heale, your local Audiologist is going to share the dos and don’ts on wax and its removal.
Ear wax, also known as cerumen is produced by the ear canal and is made up by oil, hair, dead skin cells and other debris that enters the ear (Goldman, 2016). You may be surprised to learn that earwax does carry protective properties, it lubricates and protects dust and even bugs from entering the ear canal and also has many anti-bacterial properties that can prevent some types of ear infections (Goldman, 2022).
The ears really do have some wonderful “self-cleaning” properties. However, sometimes this wax just builds up in the ear canal giving you a variety of uncomfortable symptoms. These can include a hearing loss, earache, itchiness, tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in your ears), vertigo or even an infection. If this happens to you, it’s time to start looking at getting it removed.
It is very easy for a doctor or Audiologist to have a quick look in your ears with a special microscope, called an otoscope and let you know if there is wax and whether it is significant enough to warrant removal.
Please give Emma a call if you would like her to examine your ears and check for wax build up.
Don’t use cotton buds
Cotton buds are not made for ears. Cotton buds will push the wax further down the ear canal causing a blockage. This can be very painful and can do long-term damage to the ear if pushed too deep. This same rule also applies for any other small instruments, including bobby pins and car keys!
Don’t use ear candles
There is very little evidence supporting the use of ear candling in effectively removing ear wax (BBC, 2016) and in fact, putting a burning hot candle anywhere near the ear canal could be likely to do much more harm than good.
Do get ear wax professionally removed
There are a couple effective ways to remove earwax safely by trained professionals. This includes the gold-standard, Microsuction where the wax is gently sucked out of the ear, manual removal where the wax is gently removed with a curette (often used in conjunction with microsuction) and aural irrigation where the wax is flushed out with water. Aural irrigation may not be suitable for everyone especially those with a history of ear surgeries, perforations, infections or vertigo.
Emma has done speciality training in Microsuction and curettage wax removal and has the equipment to ensure that your wax is removed safely.
Please give us a call or make an appointment online if you think you have a wax blockage.
We look forward to meeting you.
References
BBC. (2016, May 4). The mysterious properties of the wax in your ear. BBC Future. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160429-the-mysterious-properties-of-the-wax-in-your-ear