02 Sep Cleaning Ear Wax: Is It Safe to Remove Yourself? | 3 At-Home Ways
Facing troubled hearing? Or your voice is getting louder than before?
There can be more than one reason for your desire to clear away the wax clogging your ears.
But does clearing away the ear wax with tools guarantee you safe results and a promise to relieve the problems it’s causing?
There’s no guarantee!
In fact, when it comes to self-cleaning, you might be risking severe ear damage.
Hence, before one decides on cleaning away the accumulating ear wax, it is essential to find out whether is it safe to remove ear wax yourself.
Is It Safe to Remove Ear Wax?
The answer to the safety concern on self-clearing your ear wax can be both a yes and a no!
But since there’s more risk than advantage, we first consider the vital points on why you shouldn’t even think of clearing away your ear wax.
Reasons to Avoid Ear Wax Removal
Self-ear cleaning is a widespread practice around the globe with people using several foreign objects to clear the wax for purposes like:
- For better hearing,
- relieving itchiness in the ear,
- to maintain hygiene,
- and much more.
But the very first reason why you’re advised to avoid removing ear wax is its functioning and role in the body.
#1. Ear Wax is Important
Ear wax is also known as cerumen, a natural substance the external auditory meatus uses for clearing itself.
Its functions include:
- Cleaning the canal,
- protecting the external auditory canal, and
- keeping the canal moist.
Other than these factors, it also contributes to the defense mechanism of your ears as it contains many bactericidal substances.
It also has an acidic pH that prevents the growth of microorganisms in the canal and reduces the risk of infections.
#2. Ear Wax is a Self-Clearing Substance
Ear wax has a natural tendency to migrate toward the outer part of your auditory canal.
This migration is further stimulated by your jaw movements, helping the wax along with the trapped foreign materials to move out of the ear.
Hence, it’s unnecessary to clear off the ear wax and your ear canal.
But sometimes people can produce excess ear wax that goes on to accumulate in the canal and interfere with the sound waves reaching the ear drums.
This could lead to severe irritation and the urge to clear off the wax, so is it safe to remove earwax at home?
Well, the following risks suggest otherwise.
#3. Damage to the Ear Canal
Inserting foreign objects into your ear can cause the wax to go deeper into the canal, hence blocking it.
When the wax gets impacted within some end of the canal, it could also trigger the vagus nerve, resulting in a reflex of severe cough.
In some cases, it can also lead to tinnitus or a ringing sound in the ear by reaching the middle part and hence increasing pressure on the inner ear.
#4. Damages the Eardrum
Sometimes, you’re not able to perceive the exact location of the ear wax and can insert a foreign object deeper into the ear near the ear drum.
This could cause perforation and tear in the eardrum, leading to complications like:
- Ear discharge
- Loss of hearing
- Earache
So, be very careful when you’re using a cotton bud or other material to clean off the wax. It’s, of course, best to avoid these methods.
#5. Infections
Cleaning off the ear wax clears away the protective moist substance from your ears, creating an environment for the bacteria to thrive in.
Since the acidic pH present in the ear reduces with the reduction of ear wax, the environment becomes favorable for other microorganisms too.
That’s why it’s often not recommendable to clean away the natural waxy substance.
But in spite of the risks, sometimes removing ear wax becomes inevitable as it can cause severe irritation and problems.
Here is when you should remove ear wax.
When to Remove Ear Wax?
People who produce excessive amounts of wax find it difficult to prevent ear blockage and impaction.
On the off chance, the wax becomes solid and forms a plug within the ear, it could lead to:
- Ear infection
- Pain in the ear
- Tinnitus (due to excessive blockage)
- Itchiness
- Feeling of clogged ears
In such cases, I suggest clearing away the excess wax.
But noticing the several cases of ear damage among people who self-clean their ear, the concern remains – it is really not safe to remove ear wax at home.
Also, the safety depends on the method you use for clearing away the wax as the internet comes loaded with numerous dangerous hacks.
Removing Ear Wax at Home – Safety Tips and Concerns
Often it is safe to remove ear wax at home with many healthy options available both as remedies and as over-the-counter treatments.
But sometimes people opt for known yet dangerous options that could result in more harm than good.
The following sections discusses some of the top searches and checks whether they are safe enough for you or not.
Is It Safe to Clean the Ear with Hydrogen Peroxide?
3 percent hydrogen peroxide is a safe option for clearing away excess wax, clogging your ears.
However, always follow what the manufacturer instructs about the usage of hydrogen peroxide.
Use this method occasionally by filling half of your ear dropper with hydrogen peroxide and tilting your head to let 4-5 drops of it seep into your ear.
Let it bubble and fizz for 5 minutes before tilting your head again to let it drain.
It mainly helps in softening, breaking down, and then dissolving the wax.
However, be cautious while pouring pure hydrogen peroxide concentrations as concentrations lower than 3% can cause skin irritation.
On the other hand, if the concentration is more than 10%, it can lead to burns on the skin.
One other popular method of cleaning ear wax is using candles—a debatable method.
Is It Safe to Use Ear Candles?
There isn’t any valid scientific evidence for ear candles working in favor of removing the wax from your ears.
In this method, hollow fabric cones soaked in wax are used where one end of the candle is lit and the other end is placed over the ear.
It is believed that because of the flames of the candle, a suction force is created that pulls the wax out of the ear.
But science hasn’t seen any benefit from this. Moreover, it could only lead to severe burns to the ear canal and your body.
Hence, it’s strictly advised to not follow the candle method.
Is it Safe to Use an Ear Wax Removal Tool?
Ear wax removal tools work by chopping off the wax from your ears. While they might help in partially removing the wax, they can also push in some of the wax deeper.
There can even be rupturing of the eardrum, causing hearing loss, when the tool is not used by professionals.
Hence, it carries more of a risk than a benefit when done at home.
As a result, if you ask me if is it okay to remove ear wax using such tools on your own, I wouldn’t recommend it at all.
Is it Safe to Use Ear Wax Removal Drops?
Wax removal drops are one of the safest ways of removing ear wax at home.
These drops contain several ingredients that help in softening, loosening, and removing ear wax.
However, only medics suggest these eardrops. Plus, it is not wise to use an ear drop without consultation if you are suffering from an ear infection.
Also, make sure to leave the wax removal drops in your ears for a generous amount of time (not more than 10 minutes) for the best results. Otherwise, it’s best to follow the instructions on the bottle.
Other than these popular ways, some other remedies help remove ear wax at home.
How to Remove Stubborn Ear Wax at Home Safely? – Popular Tips
Not many methods are useful in clearing off the earwax. Here are 3 of the most popular ear wax removal tips to check their validity.
#1. Baking Soda
Drip 4-5 drops of a half teaspoon of baking soda mixed with warm water into your ears.
Leave the solution inside your ear for at least an hour then flush it out with water.
Try this method once a day until you feel the entire wax buildup has dissolved.
#2. Bulb Syringe
Effective when the ear drops don’t work. All you got to do is fill up the syringe with warm water and flush your ears for allowing the wax to soften up.
Now, turn your head to let the water flow out.
However, make sure to keep the following things in mind:
- Avoid flushing water into your ear canal as that can cause dizziness
- Make sure that the water is not too hot or too cold
- Avoid using this method if you have a swimmer’s ear or have got a recent eardrum surgery.
#3. Softening Ear Wax with Oil
Only certain oils help soften the ear wax and make it easy to remove the waxy substance.
Some of the oils include baby oil, mineral oil, olive oil, or even glycerine.
In this method, warm oil is dripped into your ears using a dropper. Let this sit for 5 minutes before tilting your head to let the oil drain out.
If the above methods don’t work for you and the symptoms persist, it’s always wiser to consult a doctor for better treatment.
When to Visit a Doctor for Wax Removal?
Generally, ear wax can be removed at home using safe ways. However, sometimes the remedies aren’t helpful and the symptoms can get worse.
For example, people should immediately visit a doctor if they notice:
- Drainage from the ear
- Bleeding from the ear
- Unbearable pain
- Loss of balance
- Inability to walk
Doctors generally use tools like curette to scoop out the wax buildup from your ears, post keeping you on wax-softening ear drops.
Other methods medically used to remove excess ear wax buildup include irrigation with prescription strength ear drops.
Gentle suction can also be done to remove the wax.
So, if you’re ready to get rid of the excess wax, it’s always best to seek a professional for painless ear wax removal.
Conclusion
A question popular among every household is how to remove ear wax safely. The answer can be foreign objects insertion or a general ear drop.
Your choice of method of ear wax removal decides the answer to whether is it safe to remove ear wax or not.
For example, some of the most dangerous instruments used for clearing off ear wax these days include:
- Cotton swabs – Inserting them into the ear canal pushes the wax deeper causing complications.
- Bobby pins – They can cause puncture of the eardrum.
- Ear candles – It can literally burn your auditory canal as well as face.
On the other hand, the safe ways to clean ear wax include:
- Using ear wax removal drops
- Irrigation with a bulb syringe
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Clinical methods like a gentle suction
If still not sure, visit your nearest clinic. The professionals there will help you sort through the best ear wax removal methods. In case you’ve more queries, please drop them in the comments section.
READ NEXT: Symptoms of Meniere’s Disease (Inner ear condition).
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