- How to Care for Infants With Hearing Loss - April 15, 2024
- Hearing Aid Tips for Runners - April 5, 2024
- Overcoming Misconceptions Around Hearing Aids - March 27, 2024
Earwax has an undoubtable ick factor. If you see excess earwax in someone’s outer ear, it can be unsightly. When you need to clean your ears, you might find the process unpleasant. If you need to clean a child or elder’s earwax for them, you might experience an even greater ick factor. And yet, this substance is crucial to the healthy functioning of our ears. Not only does it serve a protective purpose against dust, dirt, debris, and even flying insects, but it also moisturizes and lubricates the features of the inner ear, making hearing possible. Let’s take a moment to consider how useful earwax is to our hearing and ear health, as well as the proper way to clean an excess.
The Function of Earwax
As we know, the ears contain many sensitive features and membranes that are necessary for healthy hearing. The sensitivity of these features of the ear are necessary to make hearing possible, but they also make the ears particularly prone to damage or infection. Earwax does the job of trapping foreign objects or substances before they can touch these delicate features. The same sticky quality that causes the “ick” factor makes earwax able to do its work of capturing potentially harmful particles or substances. In addition, earwax lubricates and moisturizes the inner ear, so a proper balance is crucial to maintain.
Healthy Earwax Equilibrium
At their optimal state, the ears achieve their own equilibrium of the right amount of earwax. For this reason, most people should not need to clean anywhere beyond the outer ear. A good rule of thumb is that nothing smaller than the tip of your elbow should be inserted into the outer ear. This rule will make sure that you don’t place something into the ear where it can disturb the delicate equilibrium. Despite the temptation to do so, you will note that cotton swabs are too small to follow this rule! You should not insert cotton swabs into the ear if you feel the need to remove wax. In fact, they might have the opposite effect of pushing ear wax further inside.
Excess Earwax Removal
In some cases, a person can produce too much earwax. How do you know if you have an excess of earwax? You will likely feel pressure, discomfort, or even pain inside the ear. If you have these symptoms, it is wise to contact your doctor for a visit rather than to assume that earwax is the cause.
If you do find that you have excess earwax buildup inside the ear canal, your doctor will likely suggest that you begin with a simple solution of hydrogen peroxide, glycerin, mineral oil or a similar substance that can soften that impacted wax. Only a few drops will do, and you can wait 30 minutes to a few hours to see if a few drops are sufficient to break up the hardened wax in the ear. After some time has elapsed, you can flush the ear with warm water, making sure to let it all run back out of the ear to avoid bacteria growth. If the first attempt doesn’t seem to help, you can repeat the process the following day. Gradually softening a hardened ball of earwax might take time and patience.
More Advanced Assistance
If this simple at-home remedy doesn’t work for you, then you will need to contact your doctor for more advanced assistance. With specialized tools, such as corkscrew devices or wire loops, your doctor can extract the excess wax that has accumulated in the ear canal. Though these devices are available over-the-counter, it is wise not to attempt using them at home. The sensitivity of the middle and inner ear mean that you stand to lose much more than you stand to gain with these attempts.
When your doctor has extracted the excess wax, you will likely be able to return to a regimen of cleaning only the folds of the outer ear with a clean damp cloth. This regular practice can assist your ears to achieve their own natural equilibrium, preventing a return visit to the doctor for future extraction procedures. With some care and wisdom, you should be able to achieve that healthy balance!