Facts about earwax

Kept Hearing Website: https://kepthearing.com

What is earwax?
Earwax is a brown, orange, red, yellowish or grey waxy substance secreted in the ear canal. It protects the skin in the ear canal, assists in cleaning and lubrication, and provides protection against bacteria, fungi, and water.
It also traps foreign bodies from entering the ear canal e.g dust particles, small insects etc. So, a little bit of wax is good for
us.

What causes excess wax?
The ear has a natural way of getting rid of excess wax, however this process may be interrupted by a number of factors.
Studies suggest that as we get older the natural mechanism of wax excretion slows down. Having said that, ear wax problem affects both young and old.
There is some evidence to suggest that people who work in dusty environment may produce more wax than usual as the wax glands will work overtime to produce more wax to try and protect the ears.
Conditions such as stenosis (narrowing of the ear canal), overgrowth of hair in the canal, and hypothyroidism can cause wax build up.

Using cotton buds/Q-tips, wearing hearing aids, aging of the skin and loss of elasticity can also lead to excessive production of wax.

What are problems associated with impacted wax?
-Temporal hearing loss
-Earache
-Tinnitus
-Ear infection
-Feeling of fullness
-Vertigo
-A cough, due to pressure from the blockage stimulating the vagus nerve that supplies the outer ear.

So, what’s the solution?
Be cautious of old wives’ tales and remedies which do not have scientific evidence to support their claims.
If you are elderly and wear hearing aids, it would be a good idea to have your ears checked every six months by your local Audiologist or practice nurse so they can advise you whether you need them cleared or not.
For the young people that work in construction, carpenters etc, you may also need to have your ears checked at least once a year.
It is also good practice to wear ear plugs when working in very dusty conditions to prevent the dust from entering your ear canal.

What about putting olive oil in your ears?
There is no harm in putting a couple of drops of olive oil in your ears if you have wax, however the oil only softens the wax but does not necessarily take it out.
NB: You need to seek advice from your medical practitioner before doing this.

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Instant results, quick, safe, pain free for the majority of cases.