Earwax Management

Earwax, also called cerumen, is made by glands in the skin of the outer part of the ear canal. It’s important because it helps clean the ear, keeps it moist, and fights bacteria. Without earwax, your ears might feel dry or itchy. Earwax and dead skin cells move slowly from the eardrum to the ear opening, where they usually dry up, flake off, and fall out. Activities like chewing help this process.

Common symptoms of an earwax blockage can include earache, feeling like your ear is full, hearing loss that gets worse, hearing sounds like ringing, itching, bad smell or discharge, coughing, pain, and infection. Using things like cotton swabs, bobby pins, or napkin corners to clean your ears can push the wax deeper inside, causing a blockage against the eardrum.

Earwax blockage is a common cause of hearing loss, often due to trying to clean the ear with cotton swabs. However, most of the time, this just pushes the wax deeper, causing a blockage. It can also accidentally damage the eardrum or ear bones if pushed too far. It’s best to avoid putting cotton swabs or other objects into the ear canals since the ear is delicate. If you think you have a buildup of earwax, give us a call to schedule an appointment.