Cleaning a working ear can be done by washing it with a soft cloth, but do not insert anything into the ear. Ideally, the ear canals should never have to be cleaned. However, that isn’t always the case. The ears should be cleaned when enough earwax gathers to cause symptoms or to prevent a needed assessment of the ear by your doctor. This condition is call cerumen impaction.
Most cases of ear wax blockage respond to home treatments used to soften wax. Patients can try placing a few drops of mineral oil, baby oil, glycerin, or commercial drops in the ear. Detergent drops such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide (available in most pharmacies) may also aid in the removal of wax.
Irrigation or ear syringing is commonly used for cleaning and can be performed by a physician or at home using a commercially available irrigation kit. Common solutions used for syringing include water and saline, which should be warmed to body temperature to prevent dizziness. Ear syringing is most effective when water, saline, or wax dissolving drops are put in the ear canal 15 to 30 minutes before treatment. Caution is advised to avoid having your ears irrigated if you have diabetes, a hole in the eardrum (perforation), tube in the eardrum, skin problems such as eczema in the ear canal or a weakened immune system.
Manual removal of earwax is also effective. This is most often performed by an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist, or otolaryngologist, using suction or special miniature instruments, and a microscope to magnify the ear canal. Manual removal is preferred if your ear canal is narrow, the eardrum has a perforation or tube, other methods have failed, or if you have skin problems affecting the ear canal, diabetes or a weakened immune system.
Why Is It Dangerous to Use Swabs to Remove Earwax?
Wax blockage is one of the most common causes of hearing loss. This is often caused by attempts to clean the ear with cotton swabs. Most cleaning attempts merely push the wax deeper into the ear canal which is shaped like an hourglass, causing a blockage at the narrowing part of the ear canal. In addition, accidental trauma to the ear drum or ear bones can occur if the swab is pushed too deep.
Good intentions to keep ears clean may lessen the ability to hear. The ear is a delicate and complicated body part, including the skin of the ear canal and the eardrum. Therefore, special care should be given to this part of the body. Discontinue the habit of inserting cotton-tipped swabs or other objects into the ear canals.
When Should I Talk to a Doctor?
If home treatments do not help, or if wax has accumulated so much that it blocks your ear canal and your ability to hear, an ENT specialist may prescribe eardrops designed to soften wax, or they may wash or vacuum it out. Your ENT specialist may also need to remove the wax under microscopic visualization.
If there is a possibility of a perforation in the eardrum, consult a physician prior to trying any over-the-counter remedies. Putting eardrops or other products in the ear with the presence of an eardrum perforation may cause pain or an infection. Washing water through such a hole could start an infection.
If you are prone to repeated wax impaction or use hearing aids, consider seeing your doctor every six to 12 months for a checkup and routine preventive cleaning.
FAQs
Your provider should easily see the wax when looking at your ear through a device called an otoscope. Your provider might diagnose you with impacted earwax even if you don't have any symptoms.
What are the recommendations for cerumen impaction? ›
An individual with cerumen impaction should be treated with an appropriate intervention, including one or more of the following: cerumenolytic agents, irrigation, or manual removal requiring instrumentation. Individuals should be discouraged from using ear candling for the treatment or prevention of cerumen impaction.
What can an ENT do for ear wax impaction? ›
Ideally, the ear canals should never have to be cleaned. However, that isn't always the case. The ears should be cleaned when enough earwax gathers to cause symptoms or to prevent a needed assessment of the ear by your doctor. This condition is call cerumen impaction.
How do you dissolve impacted cerumen? ›
A commonly prescribed cerumenolytic is carbamide peroxide. Five to 10 drops are placed twice daily for up to four days. The drops work by releasing oxygen to soften and encourage spontaneous extrusion of cerumen and also have a weak antibacterial effect.
Can ENT see ear wax build up? ›
Your health care provider can see if you have earwax blockage by looking in your ear. Your provider uses a special tool that lights and magnifies your inner ear (otoscope) to look in your ear.
What happens if impacted ear wax is not removed? ›
If left untreated, excessive earwax may cause earwax impaction symptoms to worsen. These symptoms might include hearing loss, ear irritation, tinnitus and other issues. A buildup of earwax might also make it difficult to see into your ear, which may result in potential issues going undiagnosed.
How do you treat severely impacted ear wax? ›
Treating impacted earwax at home
Soften the earwax by putting a couple drops of baby oil, mineral oil or hydrogen peroxide in your ear. Hold your head sideways while the drops sit in your ear for a couple minutes. This should loosen the earwax so that when you tilt your head the other way, the earwax comes out.
Is cerumen impaction a disability? ›
Based on the facts that the VA examiner provided a diagnosis as if cerumen impaction is a type of ear condition, that there is a specific ICD code for the condition and that the Veteran has received treatment for the condition, cerumen impaction appears to be a disability, particularly when diagnosed as a recurrent ...
What is the first line treatment for cerumen impaction? ›
Irrigation. Gentle irrigation with a syringe or electric irrigator is commonly performed in clinical practice. Irrigation is an effective method of cerumen removal and it is the most commonly employed method in family practice.
What will an ENT do for clogged ears? ›
The surgeon makes a tiny incision in the ear drum using a small scalpel or laser, then suctions the fluid out of the middle ear. The doctor inserts a small tube in the incision in the eardrum to allow fluid to drain.
Suction - Using a small device called a curet, your doctor can suction out the wax. Flushing - Flushing out the wax using a water pick or warm water can be an effective tool your doctor decides to use.
What dissolves ear wax immediately? ›
If the aim is to completely break down the wax, waxsol, peroxide 3% or a sodium bicarbonate solution (which can be prepared by your local pharmacist) is effective.
What is the fastest way to remove impacted ear wax? ›
If ear cleaning drops don't work, the ears might need flushing with a bulb syringe, which are available at drug stores or grocery stores. You'll want to fill the syringe with warm water, place it near your ear opening, and carefully squeeze the bulb. The warm water will flood your ear and break up the wax.
How do you dig out impacted ear wax? ›
How can you care for yourself at home?
- Soften and loosen the earwax with warm mineral oil. ...
- Once the wax is loose and soft, all that is usually needed to remove it from the ear canal is a gentle, warm shower. ...
- If the warm mineral oil and shower do not work, use an over-the-counter wax softener.
You can remove earwax at home using 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. Tilt your head to the side and drip 5 to 10 drops of hydrogen peroxide into your ear. Keep your head tilted to the side for 5 minutes to allow the peroxide to penetrate the wax.
Can an otoscope miss earwax? ›
However, when a child or infant patient presents with impacted (clogged) earwax and is fussy or unwilling to have their ears examined, a healthcare provider is less likely to be able to accurately visualize the surface of the eardrum using an otoscope.
Can a doctor see if you have ear wax? ›
Earwax is a normal build-up of dead cells, hair, foreign material such as dust, and natural wax which forms a protective coating on the skin in the ear canal. The quantity of earwax produced varies greatly from person to person. A doctor or nurse can look into the ear canal and confirm a plug of earwax has formed.
How do I know if my ear is impacted with wax? ›
Signs and symptoms of earwax blockage may include: Earache. Feeling of fullness in the ear. Ringing or noises in the ear (tinnitus)
Why don t doctors remove ear wax anymore? ›
There are several reasons this service is often no longer offered in primary care, some of which are based on misunderstandings. First, manual water-filled syringes for flushing out earwax can cause high pressure of water and might damage the patient's ears – not something a GP wants to be responsible for doing.
