When you push cotton swabs into the ear canal, the wax is pushed deeper down and can get stuck. Avoid sticking anything into your ear to clean it. Your ears are self-cleaning, and you shouldn’t need to do much to keep them clean. The best way to prevent earwax impactions is by properly caring for your ears. More permanent hearing loss can occur in children with earwax impactionĭifficulty looking into your ear, making it harder for your healthcare provider to diagnose other ear issues But there are a few issues that can arise: What are the long-term risks of not treating impacted earwax?įor most people, earwax impaction isn’t dangerous. You can also burn your face and ear or even puncture your eardrum in the process. These haven’t been proven to help with earwax removal. One more thing, don’t try “ear candles” at home. Some treatments can be irritating and damage your ears if not done properly. Sometimes you can treat impacted earwax at home, but make sure to talk to your healthcare provider first. Because of the risk of injuring the ear canal and eardrum, only a healthcare professional should do this. When irrigation and drops aren’t enough, your healthcare provider will use special instruments to scoop or pull out the earwax. Before trying to flush or irrigate the earwax, you can use a cerumenolytic agent to help with removal. Different types of bulbs and syringes are used to flush out your ear canal with these solutions. Irrigation of the ears is usually done with warm water or a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide. Often, you need to use these ear drops for several days in a row before the wax buildup is soft enough to be removed.Ĭommon earwax softening drops available over the counter include: Cerumenolytic agents (earwax softeners)Ĭerumenolytic agents are liquids or medications that can break up or dissolve earwax. We’ll discuss commonly used, effective treatment options below. If you’re diagnosed with earwax impaction, your healthcare provider can help you decide the best way to treat it. That’s why healthcare providers always start with an ear examination to look for earwax when a person has symptoms related to their ears or hearing. Keep in mind that other ear disorders can cause these symptoms, too - like an outer ear infection or Meniere’s disease, a condition that causes ear pain, vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss. But in some cases, impacted earwax can cause symptoms such as: Often an earwax buildup causes no symptoms at all. What are the symptoms of impacted earwax? The truth is, some people just make more wax than others. You also may be someone who produces a lot of earwax. Genetic traits can make wax either stickier or drier.ĭifferent shapes of the ear canal can trap earwax. A few reasons for this include:Ĭleaning methods - like with cotton swabs - can push earwax farther into the ear canal.Įarwax that becomes drier as you get older can more readily get stuck.Įxtra hair in your ear canal can trap the earwax. If you have an earwax blockage in your ears, there might be a simple explanation. The extra wax may harden and block the ear canal. But sometimes, earwax doesn’t make it all the way out and builds up in the ear canal. The earwax will eventually dry, flake, and fall out. What is earwax impaction?Ĭhewing and moving your jaw allows earwax to move toward the opening of the ear canal. Earwax may also be sticky or dry, depending on your genetics. It can vary from yellow to orange, brown, black, or gray. You may be wondering about your earwax? Does it look “normal”? It turns out that earwax comes in many different colors. The oily wax also keeps the ear canal from becoming dried out or irritated by water. It’s the reason that dust, bacteria, and even insects can’t travel farther into the ear canal without getting trapped. What is earwax, and what does it do?Įarwax, or cerumen, is a substance produced by special glands in the ear canal. Keep reading to learn why earwax is important (and totally natural), and what you can do if you think you may have too much. But it turns out the cotton swabs can make the issue worse. It can be tempting to clean your own ears with cotton swabs when you have earwax buildup. But what is this substance that can be sticky and sometimes dry? Just like mucus helps protect the inside of our nose, earwax protects our ear canals, keeping them healthy and free from irritation and infection. We all have earwax, and some have more than others.
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