Ear Care & Advice

Why you should not use cotton buds to clean ears.

Everyone knows that you should not use cotton buds / ear buds to clean your ears, but this great video shows you exactly what happens to the wax when you do.

It can push the wax further into the ear canal, which can then cause a blockage and the ear wax then builds up.

As tempting as it may seem, we urge people to not use them.

How does your ear produce wax?

The ear canal produces wax as part of the ear’s protective mechanism. Too much wax will block the sound waves from getting to the ear drum causing deafness and a very unpleasant feeling of blockage. In order to relieve these symptoms and protect this incredible structure the safest and most effective way to have wax blockage removed is with Microsuction using a proper microscope and a suction machine.

At Just Ears we always use a microscope because this gives magnification, depth perception and excellent illumination which are all essential for safe and complete removal of wax.

Blocked ear wax - what symptoms to look for.

There are 5 common symptoms you may be experiencing if you think you have a build up of wax.

1. A feeling of fullness in the ear
2. Sudden partial hearing loss
3. Ear pain
4. Tinnitus (which is a ringing or buzzing in the ear)
5. Dizziness

It is important to seek medical help if you have impacted ear wax. Not only is it irritating, but it can also lead to infections so our advice is to see a professional to avoid this.

Any of these symptoms sound familiar? Maybe you know someone who has these symptoms? At Just Ears, we use a technique called microsuction which is the safest and most effective way to remove built-up ear wax.

How to keep your ears healthy.

You may not think you need to pay too much attention to keeping your ears ‘healthy’ but these tips below will help to minimise ear wax building up.

1. DO NOT USE Q-tips / Cotton Buds to clean your ears.   They can damage the wall of the ear canal and increase the likelihood of an ear infection. They will also cause impaction of the wax by pushing it further into the canal resulting in a blocked ear with reduced hearing.
2. Regular use of Olive oil e.g. Earol, olive oil in a spray bottle,(once a week) will help to keep the wax soft and help it to migrate out of the ear.  We are local stockist of Earol and have this available for sale in our Clinics.
3. If you suffer with dry skin or eczema moisturising around the outside of the ear with E45 or some other unscented moisturiser will help to minimise any dry skin from falling into the canal and causing irritation.
4. The risk of infection in the ear can be minimised by keeping your ears dry when showering/washing hair. You can use commercially purchased plugs from a sports shop or alternatively you can use a cotton wool ball and a smear of Vaseline (dispose of it each time it is used).  A shower cap is also useful if not washing your hair.