As many can attest, the sound of a parent intoning, "Clean out your ears," reverberates in the memory even as adults. But if you do a little snooping, you'll find that you never needed those cotton swabs after all--surprisingly, these are the last tools doctors recommend for cleaning out ear wax. The American Academy of Otolaryngology states that the presence of ear wax is perfectly healthy, as long as there's not too much of it. Most of the time, your ears are naturally self-cleaning and you don't need to take extra measures to get rid of ear wax.
Ear Wax and Your Ears
Glands in your outer ear canal produce ear wax, explains Kidshealth.Org. The outer ear is the area between the pinna, the part of the ear visible on the head, and the middle ear. Ear wax acts as a protector, says the AAO, lubricator and antibacterial, preventing dirt and harmful bacteria that can cause infection from getting into your ears. Without ear wax, your ears would feel dry and itchy.
Do You Need to Clean Ear Wax?
Your ears naturally self-clean, says the AAO. Slowly, old earwax and dead skin cells make their way from your eardrum to the opening of your ear. You unwittingly assist this process whenever you chew or use other jaw motions, says the AAO. Once ear wax reaches the ear opening, it dries out, flakes off and falls out on its own. Under most circumstances, you shouldn't have to clean out ear wax; however, the AAO notes that when you experience symptoms of a cerumen impaction--a feeling that your ears are full or "plugged," partial hearing loss or tinnitus, itching, a bad odor and discharge--the impaction might need to be removed. The AAO says that people often get wax impactions because they used cotton swabs or other "cleaning" tools that push the wax deeper into the ear.
Cleaning Excess Cerumen
The AAO indicates that you can use home treatments to remove excess ear wax. A few drops of mineral oil, baby oil or glycerin can be inserted into the ear to soften the wax. Alternately, hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, which are detergent drops, also can be effective. Some people choose to purchase a syringing kit from the drugstore or pharmacy to irrigate the ears. Commonly-used solutions are water or saline, says the AAO, which are warmed to body temperature so that you won't experience vertigo. Using a dissolving drop 15 to 30 minutes prior to irrigating the ears generally gives better results. Some people should not use this procedure at home, says the AAO, including diabetics, people with perforated eardrum and those with a compromised immune system.
How Your Doctor Can Help
Manual removal of ear wax is something you should never undertake yourself, so if ear wax impactions don't respond to home remedies, a doctor known as an otolaryngologist can use an in-office procedure to render more thorough treatment. Some of the instruments used to remove ear wax can include a suctioning device, a small instrument (curette) and a microscope. The AAO advises diabetics, those with perforated eardrums or weakened immune systems to seek a physician's treatment. Your ear canal also might be very narrow, making it difficult for you to remove ear wax at home.
What to Avoid
In addition to using cotton swabs and other devices that can push wax down into your ears, some so-called natural ear wax cleaning methods should be strictly avoided. Ear candling is particularly dangerous, cautions the AAO, yet this at-home remedy continues to be used. This procedure involves inserting a long, hollow, cone-shaped candle into the ear canal and lighting the end farthest away from the ear. The AAO cites common injuries from ear candling as ear drum perforation, burns and obstruction of the ear with the candle's wax. Ear candles are so dangerous that the Food and Drug Administration has seized products used for ear candling and issued injunctions against manufacturers and sellers. The AAO explains that these products posed an "imminent danger to health" under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
