The ear divides into several areas, and each area has a function. One function of the outer ear canal is to produce earwax, also called cerumen. Wax glands in the ear canal form and excrete the earwax. This earwax serves several important functions, including keeping the skin in the canal moisturized and preventing ear infections. Too much earwax might cause complications such as ear infections and hearing loss. Several factors cause an excessive amount of earwax buildup.
Natural Production
The skin that lines the inside of the external ear canal is full of small glands called cerumen glands. These glands make and secrete a sticky liquid, called cerumen. This substance lines the walls of the canal and sticks in the tiny hairs that also line the canal. When cerumen combines with sweat and oil from the skin and skin cells, it forms earwax. Some people naturally produce an excessive amount of earwax, and buildup occurs. A physician can see a buildup of the wax in the ear by looking in the external canal with an otoscope.
Improper Cleaning
Earwax naturally moves to the outer portion of the ear and eventually falls out. Cleaning the wax from the outer ear with a soapy washcloth helps remove the buildup. People who clean earwax from the ears improperly may cause harm to the ear and create a buildup of wax. Using objects such as cotton-tipped swabs, a paper clip, a bobby pin or other objects to attempt earwax removal can inadvertently push the wax further into the ear canal, according to the Mayo Clinic. This displaced wax may harden or build up along the eardrum. This buildup of excessive hard wax causes a decrease in hearing. Using drops to aid in earwax removal helps avoid this buildup.
Twisted Ear Canal
Some people have a twisted or narrow ear canal, according to Mount Sinai Medical Center. This condition may increase the likelihood of earwax building up in the ear canal. The abnormality in the ear canal alters the ability of the earwax to move to the outer portion of the ear. The wax may stay inside the ear canal longer and begin to build up along the walls of the ear and along the eardrum.
Ear Plugs and Hearing Aids
An object placed into the ear, such as a hearing aid and prolonged use of earplugs, decreases the possibility of the wax moving out of the ear canal. The hearing aid or plug works as a cork in the ear, causing the earwax to remain in the ear. The ear continues to make new wax, so the older wax pushes deeper into the ear canal because it has nowhere else to move. This wax builds up in the inner ear and begins to harden.
