Don’t put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear.

I’m sure most people have heard of using cotton wool buds to clean their ears. But did you know that ear wax has an important job to do and those cotton buds may only be pushing it further in.

What Is Ear Wax?

Ear wax is a natural secretion produced by glands inside the ear canal. It is orange or yellow in colour and of a waxy consistency.
It protects the skin of the ear canal from dust and dirt, assists in cleaning and lubrication, and also provides protection against bacteria. Once produced, ear wax slowly makes its way through the outer ear canal to the opening of the ear and is washed away.

How Do I Clean My Ears?

Day to day the ear wax will do its job of protecting inside your ears. As the wax makes its way to the outer part of your ear you can just wash this away. You must never try and clean the inside of your ears yourself by poking at them with household objects. A common one is cotton buds but some have tried their fingers, keys or pens to remove wax! This I can assure you will not work. All you will be doing is pushing the wax further into your ears potentially causing a blockage and opening yourself up to an infection.

Why Do I Have So Much Wax?

The amount of ear wax produced is different for everyone. Some produce very little and never have a build-up, and some produce much more which can build up inside the ear canal. Wearing hearing aids can cause a build up of wax and also wearing earplugs can push the wax deeper inside the ear.

How Do I Know If I Need The Wax Removing?

If you have produced a lot of wax or it has been pushed deeper into the ear canal, a blockage can occur. You might get a sudden temporary hearing loss or have problems with your hearing aids.

At this point you must not attempt to poke anything inside your ears, as you will push the blockage in deeper, but you should get the wax removed professionally.

How Does Independent Hearing Care Remove Ear Wax?

We use a method called micro-suction to remove ear wax. Our audiologist uses specialist magnification loupes to see clearly inside the ear canal, and then with a tiny low-pressure suction device removes the wax from the ears. It is a very safe and comfortable method of removing wax.

For more information on micro suction wax removal or to make an appointment, call us on 01564 791088.