Home
About us
Facilities Available
Consultants
Location Map
Download Map
Cashless Admissions
Guidelines for patients
Credits & Disclaimer
Contact us

Specialities

ENT
Gynaecology
Keyhole surgeries
Ophthalmology
Paediatrics
Infertility
Pregnancy
Delivery
Breastfeeding
Laparoscopy Pictures

What is ear wax?

The ear canal is lined with hair follicles and glands that produce a waxy oil called cerumen. This protects the ear by trapping dust, microorganisms, and other foreign particles, preventing them from entering and damaging the ear. The wax usually makes its way to the opening of the ear where it falls out or is removed by washing.

In some people, the glands produce more wax than can be easily excreted from the ear. This extra wax may harden within the ear canal and block the ear. More commonly, the ear canal may be blocked by wax when attempts to clean the ear push wax deeper into the ear canal and cause a blockage.

Wax blockage is one of the most common causes of hearing loss.

What Are the Symptoms of Wax Buildup?

* partial hearing loss, may be progressive
* tinnitus, noises in the ear
* earache
* fullness in the ear or a sensation the ear is plugged

How is ear wax treated?

Ear drops
Ear drops alone will often clear a plug of wax. You can buy drops from pharmacies. For example, sodium bicarbonate, almond oil, or olive oil ear drops. Warm the drops to room temperature before using them. (Let the bottle stand in the room for about half an hour.) Pour a few drops into the affected ear. Lie with the affected ear uppermost when putting in drops. Stay like this for 2-3 minutes to allow the drops to soak into the wax. The wax is softened, and it often breaks up if you put drops in 3-4 times a day for 5-7 days. Flakes or crusts of wax usually fall out bit by bit.

Ear syringing
This may be needed if ear drops do not work. Syringing will usually clear wax. But, it will usually only work if the plug of wax has been softened. Therefore, use ear drops to soften wax 2-3 times a day for five days prior to syringing. Ear syringing is usually painless. Lukewarm water is squirted into the ear canal. This dislodges the softened plug which then falls out with the water.

Some people feel dizzy after ear syringing, but this quickly settles. Some people develop an inflammation in the ear canal following ear syringing. This causes itch and discomfort, but can be treated with ear drops. Rarely, ear syringing can cause serious damage to the ear or eardrum.

Ear syringing may not be advised if you have certain ear problems. In particular, if you:

* Have had surgery for some types of ear problems.
* Have recurring infection of the ear canal (recurring otitis externa).
* Have or have had a perforated ear drum.
* Are deaf in your other ear (as there is a very small risk that syringing can cause deafness in your good ear and so make you deaf in both ears.) Your doctor will prescribe some wax softening drops and call you back after a few days.

Sometimes removal of the wax may require to be done with viewing through a microscope and under short anaesthesia. This may be more commonly needed for children as it is important that the child should not move during the procedure [movement could lead to injury of the ear drum].

Can you prevent ear wax from blocking your ear?

Put baby oil or olive oil into the ear on a regular basis. Put in the drops, let it sit in there for a few minutes, then lie down on a towel to let it drip out again. Probably only a few drops every week in each ear is good enough (nobody has done a research study on this). It doesn't hurt to put a few drops of clean olive oil or baby oil into each ear every day. Swimmers often do this prior to their daily swim. However, be sure that the oil is clean, as you don't want to introduce bacteria. This should not be done if you have an eardrum perforation or if you don't know whether or not you have a perforation.

Another method is to have your ear cleaned out by your doctor on a regular basis. Everyone builds up wax at their own rate, but commonly people need to come back for wax removal at 6 month or 1 year intervals.