Removing earwax should be a simple, painless process, but sometimes it can go awry. Earwax that has shifted to the inner portion of your ear canal is often more difficult to remove and may increase your likelihood of suffering complications from the compacted wax. Learning about inner earwax removal can help you keep this kind of waxy situation from becoming a potentially dangerous one.
The Facts
Produced in the outer one-third of your ear canal, earwax is a sticky substance that possesses antibacterial properties. Normally, this wax moves slowly to the outside of your ear canal on its own, but sometimes it collects and becomes compacted in the ear canal. Signs that you may have compacted earwax or cerumen include a gradual loss of hearing, ear pain, a full feeling in your ear and noises or buzzing in your ear.
Causes
Earwax buildup varies in severity, often depending upon the cause. In more severe cases, earwax blockage may actually extend to the inner portion of the ear canal, occasionally coming in direct contact with the eardrum or tympanic membrane. According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, situations in which compacted wax comes in physical contact with the eardrum often arises as a result of attempts to remove earwax using sharp or pointed objects, such as cotton-tipped swabs, bobby pins or pen caps.
Removal
Many mild cases of compacted earwax require nothing more than home treatment in the form of wax-softening drops or irrigation with body-temperature water. As a rule, inner earwax buildup generally requires manual removal by a physician due to the possibility of potential complications involving your eardrum, especially if you experience ear pain. Your doctor will use an otoscope to examine the compacted wax before removing the cerumen chunks manually with suction, a microscope and small scooping tools. Complete wax removal typically takes place in a single office visit to your primary care doctor or an otolaryngologist, a doctor who specializes in ear, nose and throat problems.
Considerations
Minimize the need for inner earwax removal by making it a habit never to use cotton swabs or other pointed items when cleaning your ears. Clean excess earwax from the opening of your ear canals using a moist tissue or cloth. Gently swiping the wax on a regular basis -- preferably right after a shower or bath when the wax is moist and easy to remove -- helps minimize wax buildup. If you have certain risk factors, such as hearing aid use or narrow ear canals, that make you more likely to develop compacted cerumen, talk to your doctor about using wax-softening drops like hydrogen peroxide on a regular basis to help keep the wax from building up excessively.
Warning
Never attempt to remove inner earwax yourself if you think you might have a ruptured eardrum. Instilling liquid drops or irrigating an ear with a punctured eardrum could lead to potentially serious complications, including loss of hearing and an ear infection. Potential signs of a punctured eardrum include a severe earache that suddenly stops hurting, ear discharge, dizziness and a buzzing noise in the ear.
