Earwax; why it’s useful and not gross!

Every time you have a little itch in your ear, do you reach for the cotton buds? We’re here to tell you why that’s the wrong thing to do!

Often people have a very negative view of earwax. We can understand why, it doesn’t look great! However, it is natural and necessary to keep your ears healthy. It protects the sensitive skin in the ear canal and also stops any dirt or debris reaching the eardrum.

What is earwax?

It is actually part of the ear’s self-cleaning mechanism so not gross at all! The skin inside the ear canal grows outwards taking wax, dirt and dead skin with it. This then all comes out of the ear naturally with earwax. The actions of chewing and yawning help to move any earwax outwards along the ear canal.

Cotton buds – it’s a no from us!

Cotton buds?

As we’ve just explained, earwax is necessary for the health of your ears and so you don’t need to clean it. If you do have any visible wax, then you can wipe it away with a wet cloth. We always advise that you never, ever use cotton buds! Nothing should ever be put into the ear canal as any artificial fibres can scratch or inflame the skin inside the ear canal. Any scratches can make the ear susceptible to infections.

What causes excess earwax?

Blockages are most often caused after people have tried to “clean” their ears by sticking things in them. This then pushes the earwax further down the ear canal and creates a blockage. There are also some people who are just susceptible to creating more than others and who will need it professionally removed from time to time. If a blockage is left, the wax can become compacted and affect hearing abilities.

Hearing aids sometimes contribute to people producing excess earwax due to them sitting in the ear canal and preventing it coming out naturally. This is why hearing aids are fitted with wax filters and why it’s so important that they are changed regularly.

One of our highly trained Audiologists using microsuction

Earwax Removal

If you have a blockage or excess earwax, then it can cleared safely by a Hearing Healthcare Professional using microsuction removal. It is a quick and pain free procedure. Olive oil drops should be used in your ears for a few days prior to an appointment to ensure that the earwax is softened ready for removal.

If you would like any further advice regarding excess earwax, please don’t hesitate to give our friendly customer service team a call.

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