Safely Cleaning Out Earwax or Cerumen Impaction
Your good intentions and best efforts in keeping ears clean may be risking the ability to hear. The ear is both a delicate and intricate area, including the skin of the ear canal and the eardrum.
This means that special care should be applied to this part of the body and this starts with discontinuing the use of cotton-tipped applicators and the habit of probing the ears.
Why Does the Body Produce Earwax?
Earwax, known medically as cerumen, is not the nuisance most people assume it to be. In normal amounts, it is actually a sign of a healthy ear. Earwax serves as a natural self-cleaning agent with protective, lubricating, and antibacterial properties, and its absence can leave the ear canal feeling dry and itchy.
Understanding where earwax actually comes from helps explain why problems occur. The ear canal is shaped somewhat like an hourglass, narrowing partway down.
Earwax is produced by special glands in the outer one-third of the canal, not deep near the eardrum.
Its job is to trap dust and debris before they can reach the eardrum, and then carry that debris out as it migrates naturally toward the ear opening.
Do Ears Clean Themselves?
It is a little known fact that ears are designed to clean themselves. The skin inside the ear canal grows in an outward direction, similar to a conveyor belt. This naturally moves old skin cells, debris, and earwax from deep inside the ear canal toward the opening of the ear, at which point it dries up and falls out on its own.
The natural movement of the jaw and chewing help this process along. So under normal circumstances the ear canal is able to clear out earwax on its own.
However, this does not always happen. There are many things that stop ears from properly eliminating earwax.
- Cotton swabs: Cotton swabs are the most common culprit of earwax impaction. While soft, they push wax deeper into the ear canal, compacting it against the eardrum making it harder to remove.
- Hearing aids or earplugs: Regular hearing aid or earplug use can block the natural clearing of earwax.
- Ear anatomy: Some ear anatomy makes it harder to clean out earwax. Having a narrower or more curved ear canal will make it harder to clear out naturally.
- Overproduction: Some people produce more earwax than others.
- Age: Wax gets drier and harder to move as people age.
When it is Time to Clean Earwax
If you have so much earwax that you experience hearing loss, it is time to clean out your ears.
Wax blockage is one of the most common causes of hearing loss. This is often due to repeated attempts to clean the ear with cotton swabs, which inevitably push the wax deeper into the ear and cause a blockage.
Earwax can accumulate if there is an ear infection, ear defect, or other issue, causing what is known as cerumen impaction.
Common symptoms that suggest that your ears need to be cleaned by a professional include:
- Fullness in the ear
- Earache
- The feeling that the ear is plugged
- Partial hearing loss
- Potentially progressive hearing loss, tinnitus, ringing, noises in the ear
- Itching, odor, discharge
- Coughing.
ENT Recommended Method for Safe Ear Cleaning
Most cases of ear wax blockage respond to home treatments.
Patients can try placing a few drops of mineral oil, baby oil, glycerin, or commercial drops in the ear. Detergent drops such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide may also aid in the removal of wax.
No matter what, it is important not to insert items into your ear canal. Instead, to clean the ears, wash the external ear with a cloth.
Irrigation or ear syringing is commonly used for cleaning and can be performed by a physician or at home using a commercially available irrigation kit. Common solutions used for syringing include water and saline, which should be warmed to body temperature to prevent dizziness.
Ear syringing is most effective when water, saline, or wax dissolving drops are put in the ear canal 15 to 30 minutes before treatment. It is best to avoid having your ears irrigated if you have diabetes, a perforated eardrum, tube in the eardrum, or a weakened immune system.
Manual removal of earwax is also effective. This is most often performed by an otolaryngologist using suction, special miniature instruments, and a microscope to magnify the ear canal.
Manual removal is preferred if your ear canal is narrow, the eardrum has a perforation or tube, other methods have failed, or if you have diabetes or a weakened immune system.
Common Myths When Cleaning Ears of Earwax
Are ear candles an option for removing wax build up?
No, ear candles are not a safe option of wax removal as they may result in serious injury.
Because users are instructed to insert the 10 to 15 inch long, cone-shaped, hollow candles, typically made of wax-impregnated cloth, into the ear canal and light the exposed end, some of the most common injuries are burns, obstruction of the ear canal with wax of the candle, or perforation of the membrane that separates the ear canal and the middle ear.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) became concerned about the safety issues with ear candles after receiving reports of patient injury caused by the ear candling procedure.
There are no controlled studies or other scientific evidence that support the safety and effectiveness of these devices for any of the purported claims or intended uses as contained in the labeling.
Based on the growing concern associated with the manufacture, marketing, and use of ear candles, the FDA has undertaken several successful regulatory actions, including product seizures and injunctions, since 1996. These actions were based, in part, upon violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that pose an imminent danger to health.
What can I do to prevent excessive earwax?
There are no proven ways to prevent cerumen impaction, but not inserting cotton-tipped swabs or other objects in the ear canal is strongly advised. If you are prone to repeated wax impaction or use hearing aids, consider seeing your doctor every 6 to 12 months for a checkup and routine preventive cleaning.
When should a doctor be consulted?
If the home treatments have not been effective or if wax has accumulated so much that it blocks the ear canal (and hearing), a physician may prescribe ear drops to soften wax, or they may wash or vacuum it out. Occasionally, an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat specialist) may need to remove the wax using microscopic visualization.
If there is a possibility of a hole (perforation or puncture) in the eardrum, consult a physician prior to trying any over-the-counter remedies. Putting ear drops or other products in the ear when an eardrum perforation is present may cause pain or an infection.
How MPENTA Can Help With Earwax Problems
While earwax is a natural and necessary part of ear health, buildup and blockage can happen, and when it does, it is important to have it addressed safely and properly.
Attempting to remove compacted earwax at home can push it deeper, damage the delicate skin of the ear canal, or in some cases, cause injury to the eardrum.
At Michigan Pediatric ENT Associates (MPENTA), our team can safely evaluate and remove earwax buildup in children of all ages, while also assessing whether any underlying factors, such as hearing loss, ear infections, or canal abnormalities, may be contributing to the problem.
If your child is experiencing earache, a sensation of fullness in the ear, unexplained hearing changes, or persistent itching or discharge, we encourage you to reach out and schedule a consultation at a location near you.
Infor,mation provided by:
2015 American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.
Patient Health Information
Alexandria, Virginia
https://www.entnet.org/content/earwax-and-care
