One of the questions that patients ask me about most is how to remove earwax from their ears. Ear wax is actually a good thing. It is nature’s way of lubricating our ears and protecting them. Never use a cotton swab to try and clean your ears of earwax.
One of the questions that patients ask me about most is how to remove earwax from their ears. I was reminded of this question while reading a recent newspaper article and felt it would be a good idea to review the basics on ear wax.
First off: ear wax is actually a good thing. It is nature’s way of lubricating our ears and protecting them. It acts as a filter and prevents harmful items such as bugs, sand and dirt from getting into our ears and affecting the eardrum. It also has antimicrobial properties, preventing infections from entering the body. Think of earwax as the body’s own natural antibiotic.
Constant cleaning removes the natural waxy lubrication from the ear canal and can actually create itching or lead to infection. Never use a cotton swab to try and clean your ears of earwax. A cotton swab actually pushes wax further into the ear canal and if this is done repeatedly, it can lead to an impaction of wax. In some cases, the wax may be pushed so far in that an ENT doctor may have to remove the wax with a microscope so that your eardrum is not damaged.
You may find relief from itchy ears by using a lubricant, such as five drops of extra virgin olive oil (“sweet oil”) with a small dropper two to three times per day for about a week. This can be repeated as necessary and sometimes has to be repeated every month.
Few people really do have an overproduction of earwax but for those that do, professional cleaning by an ENT is the best solutions. And remember, earwax is your friend. Q-tips are not.