We’ve been told to use an earbud to keep our ears clean since we were children. Are our forefathers and mothers correct? Should we follow their advice, or should we never use cotton swabs to clean our ears? Well, cotton swabs may appear to be harmless, but when used to clean your ears, they can be extremely dangerous. Although some people swear by cotton swabs to clean their ear canals of excess earwax and debris, many medical professionals advise against it.
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What is Earwax?
Earwax is a natural ear secretion made up of a mixture of dead skin and sebum. Sebum is a lubricating substance that is secreted by the hair within your ear. Its purpose is to trap dirt into the ear and keep it from getting too deep inside. Only the outer 1/3rd of the ear canal, which is a hair-bearing area, produces wax. It is not a waste product but rather a beneficial secretion. The wax that has just been formed is clear, but it turns brown or black as it ages. The wax is naturally pushed out of your external ear canal and falls off during sleep or showering over a few days.
What Happens When We Use An Earbud?
When you use a cotton bud, the wax that should be present only in the outer part of the ear is pushed deeper inside from where it cannot be naturally expelled. So, over some time, the wax starts accumulating in the ear and goes even deeper, eventually striking the eardrum. This will cause onerous hearing, resulting in severe pain.
Why to Never Use Cotton Buds To Clean Your Ears?
Following are some valid reasons as to why you should leave your ear wax alone:
1. Earwax Is Useful
Some of you may be surprised to learn that earwax is an essential component of our ears. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, we need this wax to help lubricate the ear and eliminate any bacteria. Naturally, our ears will clean themselves. There’s no need to use cotton buds to clean them as you’re just trying to get rid of something you need. You only need to clean the outer part of the ear when the wax becomes too hard to remove by itself.
2. Cotton Swabs Push the Earwax Deeper into Your Ear Canal
Your cotton swabs may appear to be removing earwax, but they’re pushing it deeper into your ear canal. This is a problem for a variety of reasons. To begin with, you risk driving earwax into your eardrum. This can lead to a ruptured eardrum or an ear infection. Secondly, you may be able to push the wax so far into your ear that it becomes blocked and hardens. As a result, you might experience a temporary hearing loss, necessitating a visit to your audiologist to resolve the issue.
3. Cotton Swabs May Damage the Inner Ear
Cotton swabs, as previously mentioned, can push earwax deep into the ear canal, wreaking havoc on everything inside. All it takes is just one wrong move to result in a perforated eardrum and excruciating pain. Furthermore, you may scrape the inside of your ear canal or forcefully push against it, resulting in bleeding or internal bruising, neither of which is pleasant to deal with.
4. Earwax Removes Itself
The ear is designed to remove its earwax. The average or regular movements of your jaw, from talking, eating, or yawning, will push the earwax to the outer ear. All that is needed from you is regular showering and cleaning the external ear with a cloth.
How Should Hard Wax Be Removed?
There aren’t any home remedies to get rid of the accumulated wax. Using wax-solving ear drops also doesn’t help because the wax absorbs the drops and swells up, leading to more pain and loss of hearing. It will help if you visit an ENT specialist who will have appropriate instruments to remove the wax.
When To See a Doctor for Earwax?
A visit to the doctor could be necessary for someone who has a lot of wax build-up. Doctors can easily remove the ear wax with peroxide mixed with water and injected into the ear. The procedure is almost painless and effective in removing impacted wax. Ask your doctor how you’d do the procedure yourself at your home when excess wax has built up. Don’t be fooled into thinking cotton swabs are the best way to clean your ears. In reality, you can clean your outer ear with water and tissue and just let your inner ears clean themselves. If you ever feel like you’ve accumulated too much wax, contact an audiologist for ear cleaning treatment through Marham. pk.
FAQs
1- Should we use Q-tips to clean our ears?
Avoid using Q-tips or cotton swabs in your ears as they are not only harmless but dangerous for your ears.
2- Do cotton swabs push earwax in?
Yes, it pushes your earwax farther into your ear canal.
3- Does the earwax blockage go away?
Yes, an earwax blockage is a temporary issue that disappears after you treat the condition.
Book an appointment now to answer all your queries. You can book an appointment with the top ENT specialists in Pakistan through Marham by calling Marham helpline: 0311-1222398 or by online booking facility through the website or Marham mobile app.
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