Earwax is a crucial yet uncomfortable part of your ear canal’s health. This uncomfortable nature of earwax, not to mention its unsightliness, means everyone is guilty of trying to remove earwax from their ear canal at some point in their lives. Whether you have achieved this through a simple pinky or pieces of paper towel, you may be well unaware that this cleaning practice could actually be harming your precious ears. Let’s explore the harmful ways in which you’ve been attempting to remove earwax all these years, as well as why resorting to a professional is the best course of action.
Using Cotton Swabs
It’s the most common way of cleaning your ears, and that’s through the use of a cotton swab after a hot shower. While it will feel like you’ve done an excellent job at cleaning your ear canal, the fact of the matter is that you have probably caused yourself a bit of future discomfort. Sure, superficial earwax is caught by the cotton when you swab your ear, but lots of it actually gets pushed farther into the ear canal, brining on earwax impaction and temporary hearing loss. You could suffer more damage if you try to fix it yourself.
Ear Drops
While you’ll find a wide spectrum of liquid products on the market sold under the guise of helping to keep earwax in check, these can also do more harm than good. These products are essentially dripped into the ear with the purpose of loosening the wax. The wax then flows out when the user tilts his or her head again. Thanks to the many differences in the composition of individuals’ earwax, as well as the varying shapes of ear canals, these drops don’t always work, leaving you frustrated and a few bucks poorer.
Ear Candle
When it comes to dangerous ways of getting rid of earwax, candling takes the cake. These long tapered candles are made from a fabric that is coated in wax. They showcase a very long wick, with the purpose of using heat from the flame in order to create a vacuum in the ear. Ideally, this practice is supposed to pull earwax away from the ear, leaving you with a clean and fresh ear canal. However, these products often fail to offer the required vacuum, leaving you with possible burns from the wax or burned clothing and hair.
Get Professional and Proper Ear Care
With safety at the forefront, the best way to have your ears cleaned is to see a professional audiologist. You can seek help from these well-trained individuals who can use many tools in conjunction with experienced hands to remove that uncomfortable impacted ear wax. They are also able to perform examinations of your eardrum to check on any damaged areas due to the presence of earwax. This is when you should schedule a future appointment to ensure optimal ongoing ear care. Prevent any possible hearing damage by seeing a professional for ear cleaning.