Producing too much or too little ear wax can have a big impact on your body — a build-up of excess ear wax that becomes compressed against your eardrum can causes an ear wax blockage in your outer ear canal or hearing aid and cause hearing issues, as well as pain, discomfort and even infection.
Ear wax, also known as cerumen, is a natural secretion of the outer ear canal that waterproofs your inner ear and provides antifungal and antibacterial protection.
Here’s what you can do to avoid an ear wax blockage and how to treat it if you already have one.
Why Does it Build up and Cause an ear wax Blockage?
It is natural for our bodies to continuously secrete ear wax, which protects and moisturises the ear canal skin by fighting off infections and trapping dust and dirt to prevent it from entering the eardrum. Occasionally, your body can produce too much ear wax and this can become compressed or compacted against your eardrum, causing an ear wax blockage that is uncomfortable and sometimes painful.
Ear wax blockages occur because a build-up of secretions has blocked the outer ear canal. As we get older, our ear wax becomes harder and it is more difficult for the wax to fall out on its own, making elderly people more prone to ear wax blockage.
Just having too much ear wax won’t necessarily cause a blockage, but if the ear wax becomes hard, this can cause the compaction against your eardrum. Ear wax blockages also occur when you try to clean your ears and accidentally push the wax deeper.
Inner earphones can inadvertently prevent ear wax from coming out of your ear canals and cause a blockage. You are also more prone to ear wax blockages if you have hairy or narrow ear canals or if you wear a hearing aid.
How Can I Avoid an Ear Wax Blockage?
Ear wax build-up is often caused by our lifestyle choices and habits. These simple steps can help you avoid an ear wax build-up in the future.
Stop Cleaning Your Inner Ear
Most people never need to clean their ears — even if yours are itchy or uncomfortable, you should never insert a cotton bud, tissue or anything else into your ear canal in an attempt to clean it. This can lead to you pushing wax further into your eardrum and removing too much wax, which can lead to itchy and flaky skin, discomfort and infection.
Limit the Amount of Time You Spend Wearing Inner Earphones
Inner earphones can cause an ear wax blockage, so try to limit the amount of time you spend wearing them. It is recommended that you never share inner earphones with another person, as you may transfer an infection to another person or vice versa.
Don’t Put Your Fingers in Your Ears
When the skin of your outer ear canal or eardrum is itchy, it is easy to think that quickly scratching it with a fingernail is a good idea. However, this can end up scratching the skin, removing too much ear wax and leading to infection if you accidentally damage your ear.
Regularly Clean Your Hearing Aids
It’s important to remember to regularly remove and clean your hearing aid so that there is no ear wax build-up on the part that sits inside your ear canal.
What Are the Symptoms of an Ear Wax Blockage?
The symptoms of ear wax build-up include earache, difficulty hearing, itchiness, dizziness, an ear infection and tinnitus — a condition where ringing, buzzing, humming and high-pitched sounds come from inside the ear. It might also feel as if your eardrum is plugged or full, which can be uncomfortable.
How Do You Get Rid of Ear Wax?
If your ears are blocked, the NHS recommends trying two to three drops of olive or almond oil twice a day — simply tilt your head and insert the drops, then wait a few moments for them to start working. Ear wax usually takes about two weeks to fall out completely after a blockage, but if you are unable to remove ear wax at home using ear drops, Silk Hearing can help.
Our local audiologists can visit you at home if you live within a few miles of our Macclesfield clinic, or you can come and visit us if you live further afield. Methods that professional audiologists like us use to remove ear wax include hooking and micro-suction, which is the preferred option as it is quick, painless and very effective.
Experiencing Discomfort Due to Ear Wax?
Contact Silk Hearing for a same or next-day appointment in our local Macclesfield clinic.
Treatments start at just £40 per ear and our quick and pain-free micro-suction treatments can be completed in a matter of minutes. Speak to one of our friendly and fully qualified audiologists now and get relief from your discomfort and ear pain.