Is Ear Wax a Problem for You?

Are you having trouble hearing? You might just have a problem with wax buildup. The best way to find out if you have wax buildup is to come in and have us examine your ears with our video otoscope. 

Every one of us secretes wax in our ears. Wax not only serves to protect the skin in our ear canal but also provides lubrication and can protect our ears from bacteria, insects, and fungi. Most of us barely notice the presence of our wax, but for others, it can build up without actually removing itself, causing a blockage in our ear canal.

What is Ear Wax?

Nobody likes ear wax, but it’s essential to protecting your ears.

Ear wax, medically known as cerumen, is a naturally occurring substance produced within the ear canal. While it’s called ear wax, it’s a mixture of ear secretions, shed skin cells, and trapped debris.

Ear wax is the first line of defense for your ears. It traps dust, dirt, and other small particles that could otherwise penetrate deeper into the ear and potentially damage your eardrum. Additionally, ear wax provides lubrication, preventing the ear canal from becoming dry and itchy.

You may have found that ear wax can be in many colors, including off-white, yellow, and brown. If your ear wax is green, it’s time to see a doctor, as you might be fighting off an infection.

The Complications of Ear Wax

Ear wax is generally beneficial, but if it accumulates too much and becomes impacted, it can threaten the health and well-being of your hearing.

Impacted ear wax occurs when the cerumen becomes lodged deep within the ear canal, often blocking it entirely. If that happens, you’ll typically experience the following symptoms:

Hearing Loss

The most common symptom of too much ear wax is when the blockage prevents sound waves from reaching the eardrum effectively, resulting in muffled or diminished hearing.

Ear Ache

Another common symptom of impacted ear wax is ear pain because of the pressure exerted by the ear wax against the eardrum or the ear canal walls. 

Tinnitus

You may have tinnitus if you’ve ever experienced ringing, buzzing, or other noises in the ears. There are different causes for tinnitus, but impacted ear wax is one of the more common ones.

Vertigo

Impacted ear wax sometimes causes balance problems because the ear plays a vital role in maintaining equilibrium. If you feel dizzy or have vertigo, it might be from too much ear wax.

Ear Infection

Because areas in the ear canal are blocked, they become breeding grounds for bacteria growth. If that happens, you will end up with a lot of ear pain and an ear infection.

If you experience any of these issues, reaching out to your audiologist before attempting to clean your ears yourself is important.

How Do You Clean Your Ears?

One of the biggest misconceptions is that you should clean your own ears. Most common at-home ear cleaning attempts end in serious, long-term damage to your hearing. Sometimes, the damage is even permanent.

While seen on TV and in movies, the cotton swab is one of the last things you want to stick in your ear. Using them oftentimes pushes the ear wax further into the ear canal, causing more impact on the ear drum.

If you’re not careful, cotton swabs can scratch or puncture your ear drum.

Another common at-home solution is an ear candle. There is no medical proof that ear candles work, but there is evidence that usage causes burns, additional blockages, and perforation.

There is no best home solution for cleaning your ears. Sticking anything in your ear is a recipe for serious and long-term damage, which is why you should always go to a doctor or an audiologist if you are experiencing symptoms of impacted ear wax.

How Do You Prevent Ear Wax Buildup?

While being proactive about protecting your ears might make sense, many at-home remedies are dangerous. The ear canal is self-cleaning, and overdoing it disrupts this process, leading to excess ear wax.

Two methods to prevent impacted ear wax are gentle cleaning after showers and using a humidifier.

After showering or bathing, gently wipe the outer ear with a soft cloth. This helps remove any excess wax that naturally migrated outward.

Dry air sometimes causes dryer ear wax, which can be more prone to impaction. Using a humidifier helps maintain adequate moisture levels.

Of course, the best prevention is scheduling regular appointments with an audiologist who can check and clean your ears. The audiologists at Hearing Health Center are trained in all forms of ear wax removal, including suction, curettes, flushing, and more.

Ear Wax and Hearing Aids

For all of the good ear wax does, its existence complicates things for people wearing hearing aids.

One of the biggest concerns is that wearing hearing aids prompts the glands in the ear canal to produce more wax, preventing it from moving out because of the barrier created by the hearing aid.

Ear wax can accumulate on the hearing aid’s receiver (speaker), blocking sound transmission and causing muffled or distorted sound.

This is a common issue, especially with in-the-ear (ITE) and receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids.

When Ear Wax Becomes a Problem, We Have a Solution: Ear Wax Removal!

As audiologists, we are trained in our academic coursework and through specialized wax removal courses. 

Wax removal can take many forms, depending on the wax type, the wax buildup, and what is necessary for the most uncomplicated removal. 

Come in, find out if it’s just wax, and get it taken care of at Hearing Health Center with our specialized audiology team!