Earwax Myths Worth Letting Go Of

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Your Health Magazine Contributor

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Earwax Myths Worth Letting Go Of

Earwax has a worse reputation than it deserves. In most people it protects the ear canal and leaves on its own, yet a surprising number of adults carry enough of it to dull their hearing without realizing it. Most of the myths sit in the gap between those two facts.

Myth: earwax means your ears are dirty

Earwax, or cerumen, is made by glands in the outer part of the ear canal. It traps dust and debris, keeps the delicate skin of the canal from drying out and helps discourage infection. It is a sign that the ear is doing its job, not a sign of poor hygiene.

The ear also has its own cleaning system. The skin of the canal migrates slowly outward, and everyday jaw movement from talking and chewing helps carry old wax along with it. By the time it reaches the opening, it has usually dried and flakes away. For most people, washing the outer ear with a damp cloth is all the cleaning that is ever needed.

Myth: cotton swabs are the safe way to clean your ears

Cotton swabs are a common reason earwax becomes impacted. A swab may remove a little wax from the surface while pushing other wax deeper into the canal, where it can become more difficult to clear naturally. Repeat that every morning for a few years and you can build a firm plug. Swabs can also scratch the canal skin, which invites irritation and infection, and a slip of the hand can injure the eardrum itself.

Hairpins, keys and the corner of a towel twisted into a point carry the same risks.

Myth: ear candling draws the wax out

Ear candling involves placing a hollow, wax-coated cone in the ear and lighting the far end, on the theory that heat and suction will pull wax out. The evidence says otherwise. According to Health Canada, research shows ear candling has no medical benefits and does not create significant heating or suction in the ear canal. Selling or importing ear candles for medical purposes is illegal in Canada.

The risks are real. Health Canada reports several cases of ear injury in this country and lists burns, hot wax dripping into the ear, candle wax blocking the canal, a perforated eardrum and temporary hearing loss among the hazards.

Myth: if you can still hear, there is no buildup

Wax accumulates slowly, and the brain adapts to gradual changes in sound, so a partial blockage can go unnoticed for a long time. A Statistics Canada analysis of the 2012-2013 Canadian Health Measures Survey, in which examiners looked into participants’ ears, found that 13% of adults had occluding wax or pus in one or both ears. The figure rose with age, from about 11% of adults aged 20 to 39 to 21% of those aged 70 to 79, and the authors noted that the wax likely affected their hearing.

Some people only discover a plug when water from a shower or swim causes it to swell and suddenly block the ear completely. Others notice that voices sound flat, or that one ear feels full. People who wear hearing aids, earplugs or in-ear headphones are more prone to buildup because a device sitting in the canal interferes with the wax’s natural exit. For hearing aid users there is a second cost: wax is one of the most common reasons receivers clog and sound becomes weak or distorted.

Myth: drops or a home kit will always fix it

Softening drops, whether plain mineral or olive oil or an over-the-counter product, can help loosen mild buildup over several days. Home irrigation kits are also widely sold. Both have limits. They should not be used by anyone with a known or suspected hole in the eardrum, ear tubes, a history of ear surgery, ear pain, discharge or a sudden change in hearing. And a hard, impacted plug often does not respond to drops at all, which tempts people to reach for something sharper.

When home care does not work, professional removal is the next step. A clinician first looks into the canal with an otoscope to confirm that wax is actually the problem and to see how it sits against the eardrum. Depending on what they find, they may use gentle suction, a small curette or controlled irrigation. For example, some clinics providing hearing care services in Kitchener and elsewhere in Waterloo Region offer wax removal alongside hearing testing. Earwax that blocks the canal can affect hearing and may need to be addressed when evaluating hearing concerns.

A few habits that actually help

• Clean only the outer ear, with a cloth, and leave the canal alone.
• If you wear hearing aids, change the wax guards on the schedule your provider recommends and wipe the devices daily.
• If you are prone to buildup, ask about periodic checks rather than waiting for a full blockage.
• Keep earbuds clean, since they collect wax and can return debris to the canal.

When a blocked ear is not wax at all

One last point is worth remembering, because it is where the “it’s probably just wax” assumption can do real harm. A sudden drop in hearing in one ear can feel exactly like a plug, with fullness, muffled sound and sometimes ringing. The Canadian Academy of Audiology describes sudden sensorineural hearing loss as a medical emergency that usually affects one ear, and notes that getting help quickly improves the chances of recovery. If an ear goes muffled over a few hours or days and you have no history of wax trouble, skip the drops and see a doctor the same day.