Ear wax is a common substance to all of us, right? But what is it really? It’s a yellowish, waxy goo called cerumen that is designed to clean and lubricate the skin of the ear canal and protect the whole ear against bacteria, fungi, insects and water. Too little of it makes putting in a hearing aid painful. Too much of it can exacerbate hearing loss and mess up your hearing aid.

Normally, tiny glands in your ear create a watery substance that gets mixed with bits of dead hair, skin, dirt and dust creating wax. Jaw movement like chewing and talking moves the ear canal in a fashion that the ear wax slowly works its way out, until it dries up and falls out. Modern behavior such as wearing hearing aids, ear plugs, head sets or cleaning with a q-tip hinders this natural shedding. That’s when we end up with what is called “excessive ear wax.”

And it is no small problem. Every year about 12 million people seek medical care for excessive ear wax, complaining of pain, itching, tinnitus and hearing loss. And, excessive ear wax accounts for nearly 80% of hearing aid defaults.

So the stuff is good for us, but like most things too much of it is really bad for us.  What to do?

Studies show that syringing is the best way to remove ear wax.  Here is how do it:

• To do this you need a syringe. This one is a safe alternative.
• Fill a small bowl with body temperature water and a bit of vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Water too hot or too cold can cause dizziness.
• Pull the external ear up and back.
• Fill the nozzle of the syringe and aim it slightly upwards and backwards so that the water shoots along the roof of the canal.
• Hold a hand towel up to your ear to catch the debris, or do this in the shower. I am always both horrified and fascinated with what comes out of my ear.
• Do this a few times until it seems that your ear canal is clean.  Open and shut your jaw as you stream in water.
• Adjust the flow of water from the syringe to your personal preference.
• And obviously, be careful not to hit your eardrum and stop if it ever gets painful.
• After you are done, tip the head, ear down, and pull the external ear upwards to straighten the ear canal. The rest of the water will flow out.

Another, more agressive solution is the ear pick, which is used to reach into the canal and scoop the wax out. This is typically done in a doctor’s office in the US, but is often done at home in Asia. Here is a selection of choices if you feel comfortable doing this for yourself. Remember all usual precautions. Please, please be careful and pay attention to what you are doing. You are already hearing impaired, don’t go and puncture your ear drum too.

A caveat!!  Even though it is tempting, don’t do this too much or you will create more problems that you are solving.  Too little ear wax creates abrasions in your ear canal, which can turn into infections.  As it happens, ear wax is created at the same rate that finger nails grow.  As a loose guide, every time you cut your fingernails, clean out your ears.

Want to know more about ear wax, down to its composition and type? Click here for some fascinating reading.

Happy hearing.