What is
earwax?
Earwax (also called
cerumen) is made by glands in the outer part of the ear canal. Earwax helps
your ear stay healthy. It helps stop dust, dirt, and other substances from getting
into the ear canal. Earwax also helps to maintain the ear canal's acid balance
and to protect the ears from infection.
It is healthy to have earwax inside the ear canal. It is not a sign of
poor hygiene. Usually, the ears constantly clean themselves by slowly moving
earwax and debris out of the ear canal opening. Most of the time, we are
unaware of this cleaning process.
When is
earwax a problem?
Fresh
earwax is soft and yellow. Older earwax is brown or black and may even resemble
blood. Earwax is sticky and shiny. The wax may also be dry, white, and flaky. Too much earwax
in the ear can be uncomfortable. 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.
What
causes excess earwax buildup?
There is
no answer to why some people have problems with earwax
buildup and others do not. Older adults tend to have more problems with
earwax than younger adults do. People, especially older men, with coarse wiry hairs
in the ears may have more problems. Some people may have the problem in just
one ear. 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.
Your ear
can also be blocked with earwax if you use objects to clean the ear canal. An
object may push earwax deeper into the ear canal and compact it. The earwax
hardens and may cause a sudden loss of hearing or ear pain.
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. These are unsafe tools
for removing earwax and often push the earwax further down the ear canal
toward the eardrum. Such objects hurt the ear canal and can make a hole in the
eardrum. They may damage the small bones in the middle ear behind the eardrum.
They can even damage the inner ear, causing permanent hearing loss.
How is
earwax buildup treated?
There are safe ways to
remove earwax if it is causing pain or loss of hearing. You can use baby
oil, mineral oil, or special eardrops to soften the earwax. This may be enough
to get extra wax to move slowly out of the ear.
If you are
experiencing pain, hearing loss, or bleeding from your ears, seek immediate
medical evaluation by your healthcare provider before attempting to remove any
earwax buildup.
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