Everything You Need to Know About Ear Wax and Its Effects on the Body

Ear wax is naturally produced in the ear canal. To the common person, ear wax is disgusting and smells. While that can all be true, ear wax isn’t actually dangerous to the body, unless there are other factors surrounding it. The production of ear wax is necessary because it is a substance that helps protect the ear canal from dirt and germs. It’s actually a good defense system, hence cleaning your ears isn’t always necessary. Then again, you should still clean your ears but there are a lot more things that you need to know about the effects of ear wax on your body.

How often should you clean your ears?

Cleaning your ears is mostly advised to be done once a month. That’s right, however, that doesn’t mean that it’s the norm. It’s advice, so to speak because different people have different rates of metabolism. In this case, different people may have different production rates of ear wax. Too much ear wax can lead to clogging or blocked ears. Cleaning your ears can be simply done and safely executed.

When using cotton buds

People have been using cotton buds or Q-tips for many years now. They are usually the things that people use to clean their ears. Q-tips can be good or bad depending on how they are used. Whatever you do, do not push the Q-tip deep within your ear canal. It pushes the ear wax deep into your ears which can cause problems. If you want to clean the canal, simply put the Q-tip and move it in a circular motion. Then, clean the other parts of your ear that are outside the canal, and you’ll be fine.

What causes clogged or blocked ears?

We already mentioned that in some cases, when you clean your ears, you might push back some of the ear wax inside deeper. In some cases, there is too much production of ear wax. That can’t be good because too much wax can build up in your ear canals. This causes some blockage which can’t be good for the body.

There are also cases where the ear canal is blocked by water. When you go swimming water goes into your ears. They can block your ears for a couple of hours but they eventually just come out. There are also other foreign substances that enter your ear canal and with a build-up, they can block your ears. Not to worry because there are ways to get rid of those things that block your ears.

How to get rid or treat clogged ears?

That all depends on the problem, if the case is ear wax build-up, then there are several ear wax removal treatments you can do at home. The first thing you can do is to chew gum. It sounds weird but moving your jaw to chew can actually help break down the wax that has built up in your ear canal. Just remember that this usually works if the clogging isn’t that severe just yet. Even yawning can help or at least simulate the act of yawning because you might not be sleepy.

Having a hot compress also helps when you place it behind your ears. Just rub the compress around and you’ll probably feel the blockage melting or getting more loose. There are some that use a Q-tip with oil. Oil helps loosen the blockage but for the most part, it depends on how thick the clogged ear is. Even putting yo

Using medical methods to alleviate your clogged ears

There are some medications used to clear out clogged ears. There are drops that you can put directly in your ear canal. Instructions usually state something like letting the drops linger for a couple of minutes. After a specific amount of time, you can sit up straight or stand. The liquid inside could have melted the wax and will slowly be pumped out. You can feel the sensation when the insides are being cleared out. It could be cases where you have to apply the treatment more than once. That all depends on how thick the blockage is. There are other medicinal products used for ear cleaning.

The worst that can happen is surgery. There is surgery if the blockage is very severe. Most of the time, that doesn’t happen because of heavy ear wax built up but it could happen. Surgery is your last resort if you feel that your problems aren’t getting fixed with the use of the above-mentioned methods as well as the medical route. There’s nothing wrong when you want to get surgery but only if it is needed.

Ear wax cleaning can be easy and if you really need help, there are a lot of medical experts to help you with it. Surgery is the last step and they are always available regardless if you’re in the US, Singapore, or wherever you might be.