The wax will fall out or may be cleaned safely from the outer ear with a washcloth.Įarwax that is causing problems can be removed by your healthcare provider. This may be enough to get extra wax to move slowly out of the ear. You can use baby oil, mineral oil, or special ear drops to soften the earwax. There are safe ways to remove earwax if it is causing pain or loss of hearing. They can even damage the inner ear, causing permanent hearing loss. They may damage the small bones in the middle ear behind the eardrum. Such objects hurt the ear canal and can make a hole in the eardrum. These are unsafe tools for removing earwax and often push the earwax further down the ear canal toward the eardrum. Never try to remove earwax yourself with objects such as a cotton-tipped swab, car key, bobby pin, toothpick, matchstick, or high-pressure water spray. The earwax hardens and may cause a sudden loss of hearing or ear pain. An object may push earwax deeper into the ear canal and compact it. Your ear can also get blocked with earwax if you use objects to clean the ear canal. Hearing aid users must watch for a buildup of earwax because the ear mold of a hearing aid acts like a dam, preventing the wax from moving out of the ear canal. Some people may have the problem in just one ear. People, especially older men, with coarse wiry hairs in the ears may have more problems. Older adults tend to have more problems with earwax than younger adults. No one knows for sure why some people have problems with earwax and others don't. If too much earwax is in the ear canal, it may act like an earplug, blocking sound entering the ear and making it harder to hear. Too much earwax in the ear can be uncomfortable. The wax may also be dry, white, and flaky. When is earwax a problem?įresh earwax is soft and yellow. Most of the time, we are unaware of this cleaning process. Usually, the ears constantly clean themselves by slowly moving earwax and debris out of the ear canal opening. It is healthy to have earwax inside the ear canal. Earwax also helps to maintain the ear canal's acid balance and to protect the ears from infection. It helps stop dust, dirt, and other substances from getting into the ear canal. Earwax (also called cerumen) is made by glands in the outer part of the ear canal.
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