![Diagram of earwax in the ear canal](https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Ear-wax__ScaleWidthWzEwMDBd.jpg)
A common problem?
Earwax, or Cerumen, to give it it’s medical term, is an excretion of a honey-like sticky substance in the ear canal. Most people will develop earwax and some more than others. It is important to know that earwax is actually a very healthy thing to have.
Earwax helps protect the ear and eardrum (or tympanic membrane) from dust and debris from the atmosphere, which is why those who work in dusty environments, for example, may experience a larger amount of wax build-up than those who work in a quiet office.
Earwax grows with ear stimulus. When something such as dust, a headphone or a finger touches the ear, the ear thinks it is under attack and secretes the sticky substance to try and prevent the ‘foreign body’ getting into the delicate parts of the ear (eardrum) and causing damage.
The use of cotton buds, tissue, hair grips, pen lids and alike not only carry risk of causing damage to your delicate ear, they also themselves can cause a build-up of earwax. It can also push any wax that may be in your ear further back causing a deeper blockage of wax which may need more treatment and help to remove.
We strongly advise against the use of cotton buds to ‘clean our ears’ as we can’t see how far we are actually putting the bud into the ear. This is also because fibrous materials such as cotton buds and tissue can leave fibres behind in the ear, stimulating the growth of wax! So, when we think that we might be ‘cleaning’ the ear, by doing this we could actually be causing more of a problem!
Wax can also cause a feeling of hearing loss so it is important that if you feel any changes to your hearing or indeed any feelings of fullness or discomfort in your ears, you must see your GP or practice nurse to ensure that your ears are free of any wax.
Unfortunately, you may find if you wear a hearing aid you are more susceptible to wax as this, to the ear, is a foreign body. Your Audiologist or hearing aid technician can check your ears for you when you have your hearing aid serviced and give you advice on how to manage your wax if it is necessary.
If your General Practitioner (GP) or practice nurse is unable to treat or remove your wax for any reason, there are places in Leeds that they can refer you to for help with this.