When you have a tickle in your ear, it can be maddening and difficult to scratch. If you typically reach for a cotton swab, stop. Swabs have the potential to damage your eardrum, but even if you avoid that, you’re likely pushing ear wax deeper into the ear canal.
Impacted ear wax causes a range of symptoms including temporary hearing loss, dizziness, and discomfort. Our professionals at Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates can deep clean ear wax plugs, and in the case of severe blockages, we recommend an office visit.
However, there are ways you can treat ear wax buildup at home, as well as methods you should avoid. Let’s take a look at both.
Known medically as cerumen, ear wax comes from glands that line a portion of your outer ear canal. Ear wax and the small hairs within your ear work together to keep debris out of your ears and protect the lower part of the ear canal.
Normally, ear wax works its way out of the ear canal and disappears, perhaps when you shower or wash, in amounts so small it’s rarely noticed. The motion of chewing helps move the wax forward. When you have an itchy ear and use a swab or other small object in the ear canal, you’re more likely to press wax deeper into the canal.
When wax goes deeper than the hair and gland level within the ear, it’s harder for it to escape your ear. Over time, excess wax collects into an ever-increasing physical blockage. Signs that you may have a substantial wax blockage include:
Sometimes, if hearing loss is your only symptom, you may not know you have a blockage, since your brain compensates. People around you may notice your hearing loss before you do.
The most important thing to know about cleaning ear wax is what not to do. We’ve already looked at cotton swabs. These are fine for cleaning the outer ear, but they should never be inserted into the ear canal.
Ear candling is a folk remedy that doesn’t work. Not only will ear candles not remove ear wax, you also risk burns.
Here are three home solutions that might help you clean wax from your ears:
Putting a few drops of oil directly into the ear canal while lying on your side can help to soften earwax. Let the oil sit in your ear for a few minutes before sitting up again, and put a tissue over your ear to absorb the oil that drains from your ear. It may take a few days of oil drops to soften a wax plug enough for it to fall from your ear.
Consumer ear cleaning kits using peroxide formulas can be effective on light wax build-ups. Follow the instructions, which are usually similar to the oil drops method. The peroxide may loosen wax, and you may notice bits of wax during the draining stage.
Gently delivering warm water with a bulb syringe can loosen and rinse the ear canal. Keep the water temperature close to your body temperature and be gentle when you flood your ear. A syringe may be used in conjunction with the oil drops method.
More advanced wax plugs may be too large for home methods to work. These are also more likely to cause a range of symptoms.
At Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates, we can help, no matter how minor or severe your earwax blockage may be. Call or click to book an appointment at our nearest office in Lawrence or Ottawa today.
