Ear Health – Important but Less Spoken About
The ears are probably something one doesn’t give much thought to on a day-by-day basis. That is, until one gets an ear infection or the ears start ringing and itching. Most of the hearing issues out there are caused by earwax.
On this week’s posting, we share with you all about earwax, how to look after your ears and also is it necessary to clean the earwax?
Keeping the Ears Clean from Earwax
The ear canal is lined with small hairs and glands. Earwax is made up of secretions from these glands, skin cells, hairs and bacteria. The main function of earwax is to moisturize the fragile ear canal skin thus preventing dry and itchy ears. It also protects the ear canal skin from infection, traps dust and other foreign particles.
Tips to clean the ears
The ears are self-cleaning for most people. Earwax migrates from the deeper end of ear canal to the opening of the ear canal via different mechanisms, including normal skin migration pattern and movement of the jaw joint. These ear wax then falls out. No extra steps are needed to keep the ears clean. Just wash your hair regularly and gently dry your ear canal opening with a towel.
Clinical removal of earwax
Some people produce an excessive amount of earwax thus causing ear blockages. This excess wax can then be removed in the clinic using a curette, suction or other specialized methods.
Ear drops
Hydrogen peroxide is a common ingredient in eardrops. It is used to soften, loosen, dissolve and break down earwax. Hydrogen peroxide drops should not be attempted in people who have a history of recurrent ear infections, holes in eardrums and prior ear surgeries. It can cause harm and pain in these cases.
Avoid digging the ears
Never attempt to dig out excess or hard earwax using a paper clip, Q-tip or another small object. These instruments can push the earwax deeper into the ear canal which can cause an earwax impaction. Q-tips and other small objects can traumatize the fragile ear canal skin and lead to infection and bleeding.
Reference: Medical News Today, How does hydrogen peroxide remove ear wax?
