Dirty Ears? Eww.
Well, some people depend on cotton buds while others feel that using ear candles for ear wax removal is the way to go. There also is a good chunk of people who don’t believe in cleaning ears at all.
It is seen that with changing seasons and weather everyone starts to take care of their skin, just like that, it is important to take care of your ears too. Especially, with the summer season approaching and the vacation period being around the corner, we all love to engage ourselves in water sports and music concerts both of which can play a part in the excessive production of wax in the ears.
Be it any social event or a concert we all love enjoying the beat of the music. In fact, we love to go to such dining places where there is good and loud music to listen to. These activities may seem fun, but little do we realize that this continuous high pitch music is deteriorating our hearing health.
Apart from this, many other issues like high blood pressure and many hidden health issues can have a huge impact on what we do with our ear health. Hence it becomes quite important to take extra care of your ears in summers.
In this article, we are going to talk about how to clean ears and will be discussing ear wax removal ways in particular.
Before we learn the methods as to how to clean ear wax, let’s have a proper understanding of what actually is ear wax.
What is Ear Wax?
Earwax, also known as cerumen is not as harmful as you may think. It helps as a protection layer for the ear and traps the dust particles and dead cells of the skin and then eventually filters them out from the inner ear and eardrum. You can easily know the answer to the question of how to clean ears that are full of wax. To make it clear, wax is naturally produced by the ears for numerous essential functions. As far as ear canals are concerned, it helps ear canals by lubricating them, preventing them from dryness and itchiness.
However, at times the production of earwax gets out of control due to reasons such as the following:
- Ear infections
- Swimming
- No proper cleaning of hearing aids
- Overuse of the Q-tips or any other object to clean earwax.
- Genetic issues such as lupus, hairy ears, osteoma, narrow canals, and eczema.
However, an excessive amount of earwax can cause:
- Difficulty in hearing
- Ringing in the ear
- Itching in the ear
- Frequent Earaches
- Pain in the ear
- Trap bacteria thus causing ear infections
Earwax Blockage Symptoms
Ear Wax Removal cannot be pursued until and unless you are clear about the symptoms and the signs of blockage that can occur as a result of earwax accumulation. These are discussed below:
- Leakage or ear drainage
- Extreme itching
- Ringing in the ear or tinnitus
- Partial loss of hearing
- The feeling of fullness in the ear
Risk Factors Leading to Ear Wax Removal and Other Ear Issues in Summer
Many factors can harm your ears especially in summers and these include:
- Continuous exposure to loud noises– Noise pollution without a doubt is quite harmful to the ears. Therefore, try not to listen to loud music and stay away from the loud banging speakers as these are extremely harmful to the ears.
- Immersion in the Water– It is one of the leading causes of ear infections and wax accumulation in the summer. Summer’s ear or otitis externa is one of the common ear infections that occur in the summer season. The bacterial growth in the ear is encouraged due to the moisture present in the ear.
- You can easily find the earwax along with the moisture. It can cause discomfort and can lead to hearing loss. Hence, for this very reason, swimming caps and earplugs are recommended to avoid the water entering in the ear canal which causes ear issues.
How To Clean Ears Effectively?
Now, the next time you are thinking of ear wax removal, you need to be mindful of many things. Cleaning ear wax does not necessarily need a visit to the doctor, if your situation is not very serious you can easily clean your ears at home.
Visiting an ear doctor is one of the best and safest methods to remove the excess buildup of earwax. The medical health expert would be using some special instruments to remove the earwax such as a suction device, forceps, or cerumen spoon in order to clear out the blockage of wax in the ear.
However, if you are further thinking about how to clean ears at home here are some safe, simple, and effective ways that you can follow:
1. Using a Clean Damp Piece of Cloth
One can easily know and feel when too much earwax is built up in the ears. As far as the outer part of the ear is concerned, you can gently clean it using a clean washcloth. Cotton swabs shouldn’t be used as they might push the earwax deeper into your ear canal. You can use the cotton swabs on the outer side of your ear.
2. Use of Earwax Softener
There are certain solutions and over-the-counter ear drops available in the stores that you can use as an easy way for ear wax removal. These solutions include,
- Saline
- Baby oil
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Peroxide
- Glycerin
- Mineral Oil
All you need is to do is to use a specific amount of solutions into your ear, wait for a certain time then drain it and rinse it afterward out from the ear. You can also use the earwax removal kit that is available easily in pharmaceutical stores. Avoid using anything that can hurt your ears.
3. Use of the Syringe to Clean your Earwax
There are ear syringes that help you in irrigating your ear. In this procedure, all you need is saline or water to gently rinse your ears. It is an effective method, especially if you use a wax softener for about 15-30 min before irrigating your ears. To avoid dizziness, you need to warm the solution before this procedure.
Things You Need to Avoid While Cleaning Your Ear
The time and duration of cleaning your ear vary from person to person. Some might not need to clean their ears regularly and some need to do it every week. You can damage your ears if you are using the napkin corners, cotton swabs, bobby pins, etc. Avoid using any sharp object which can damage your ears and lead to hearing loss. A very important thing to keep in mind is to avoid irrigating your ears if:
- You suffer from a hole in your eardrum
- You have a weak immune system
- You suffer from diabetes
- You have tubes in the affected area
TakeAway Note,
In most cases, you don’t need to look for ear wax removal methods as it is seen generally that a lot of people have overproduction of ear wax which is quite normal. But if this wax makes your life miserable by causing you pain or irritability that is beyond your control then do consider visiting an ENT specialist at Healthwire.pk. Make sure to use proper earplugs, minimize your exposure to loud noises, take a decongestant as per your doctor’s recommendation before boarding planes and keep your ears dry after doing any water sport.