Ear wax, or cerumen, is a protective substance produced by the body to protect the ear from dust, debris and bacteria. Produced in the outer ear canal, it either flows naturally to the exterior of the ear, or dries in place and falls away in flakes. Improper ear cleaning, however, can compress ear wax toward the inner ear, forcing it against the eardrum and muffling your hearing.
Causes
There are two common causes of ear wax blockage. The most common cause is the use of cotton swabs or some other invasive tool to clean the ears, which can push ear wax deeper into the ear canal and block the eardrum. In other cases, an overproduction of ear wax can naturally block the ear canal, reducing hearing until removed. Attempts to remove a blockage improperly can make the situation worse by compressing wax together into a thick plug which is difficult to remove.
Symptoms
The main symptom of a wax blockage is a loss of hearing in the affected ear. Sounds are murky, as if heard underwater or through a barrier. An ear wax blockage can also cause tinnitus, or a ringing sensation in the ear, as well as earache. If these symptoms accompany dizziness or a fever, they can be the sign of an ear infection, and you should consult a doctor.
Removal
The easiest way to remove a wax blockage is through irrigation of the ear canal. Using a syringe or rubber bulb, you can flush the ear canal with warm water or saline solution, loosening and washing away the excess earwax. A few drops of mineral oil or baby oil prior to irrigation can help loosen a stubborn blockage, and commercial carbamide peroxide preparations can break up all but the worst blockages for easy removal. In extreme cases, a doctor can use an otoscope and suction tools to remove a particularly thick obstruction.
Concerns
If you experience an ear wax blockage and have a punctured eardrum or a tube in your inner ear, you should not attempt to remove the ear wax yourself, to reduce the chance of an inner ear infection. Diabetics or anyone else with a lowered immune system may also wish to have a doctor perform the procedure for the sake of safety. It's easy to damage the delicate structures inside the ear, possibly leaving you with permanent hearing loss or other problems.
Ear Candles
Though they are frequently advertised as a way to draw wax out of the ear, ear candles are actually useless at best, dangerous at worst. Consisting of a wax cone you place in your ear and light with a match, ear candles supposedly work by drawing the earwax up and out of the ear canal. According to the Food and Drug Administration, however, ear candles can cause burns to your face and hair, they can add candle wax to the cerumen buildup in the ear canal, and they can even damage your eardrum.
