Does Ear Wax Removal Hurt?

Earwax, officially known as cerumen, is secreted by glands in the outer ear or the lining of the ear canal. Its function is to guard against anything that might damage the delicate structure of the inner ear. Ear wax is a fatty substance designed to keep intruders like dust, bacteria, and even foreign objects from moving down the ear canal. In this article, we discuss, "Does Ear Wax Removal Hurt?"

As well as helping to fight off infection and keep debris away, earwax also serves as a moisturizing substance, keeping the outer parts of the ears from drying out. People who don’t have enough earwax often experience dry ears that may be itchy, and they’re more likely to get ear infections. Older earwax will eventually move to the outer part of the ear, drying up and falling out, taking anything it has trapped along with it.

Available Ear Wax Removal Method

Softeners

This process is called cerumenosis. Topical preparations for wax removal may be better than no treatment, and there may not be much difference between types, including water and olive oil. However, there have not been enough studies to draw firm conclusions, and the evidence on irrigation and manual removal is equivocal.

Commonly available cerumenolytics:

Oil, sodium bicarbonate, and glycerine, Cerumol, Cerumenex

Micro-suction

Micro-suction involves the use of a vacuum suction probe to break up and extract impacted cerumen. Micro-suction is superior to other methods because it avoids the presence of moisture in the ear, is usually faster than douching, and is done while removing earwax.

Using a camera with a light and a pilot hole, with a long metal vacuum probe

inserted into the pilot hole, the practitioner is then able to see inside the ear and remove the earwax under pressure.

Potential adverse effects include dizziness, temporary tinnitus, and hearing loss due to the pump volume and the proximity of the vacuum probe to the eardrum. These effects are less common if the earwax has softened for 5 days before the micropipette. In general, micro-aspiration is well tolerated and even preferred by many patients.

Ear Irrigation

Once the cerumen has softened, it can be removed from the ear canal by irrigation, but the evidence for this practice is equivocal. This can be effectively done with a spray-type ear scrubber, often used in a medical setting or at home with a bulb syringe.

Affected people generally prefer the irrigation solution to be warmed to body temperature, as dizziness is a common side effect of ear washing or syringing with fluids that are colder or warmer than body temperature.

Cotton Swabs

We can remove earwax with an ear pick, which removes the wax and brings it out of the ear canal. In the western part of the world, the use of the cotton bar is usually done by health professionals. The use of ear picks to remove earwax was common in ancient Europe and is still used in East Asia. Since most Asian earwax is dry, it is very easy to remove with an ear pick or cotton bar, as it falls off in large chunks or dry flakes.

Cotton swabs are generally not recommended, as doing so may push earwax down the ear canal. If anyone uses it incorrectly, it can cause harm to the eardrum; sometimes it can puncture our eardrum.

Ear Candles

Ear candling, also known as ear cone therapy or thermal ear therapy, is an alternative medicine practice that is claimed to improve overall health and well-being by lighting one end of a hollow candle and placing the unlit end in the ear canal. However, this is not recommended, as it is dangerous, ineffective, and counterproductive.

Is it painful to remove earwax?

Based on patient reports, the vast majority of wax removals are completely painless and non-invasive. people with years of earwax buildup that has compacted and hardened the earwax, which is sometimes more difficult to remove. Doctors may have to use other tools to break up the wax before aspirating it, which can be uncomfortable at times.

Why You Should Get Professional Earwax Removal

There are plenty of different reasons why earwax removal is so important. For starters, earwax build-up can be pretty unhygienic, to the point where it might just start to make you seem unattractive to other people—something that you are not going to want to have to deal with all at once. In this case, you can use a smart earwax remover.

This is because it has to do with your overall health. You see, if you don't at least remove earwax regularly, this can lead to a buildup of earwax in sensitive areas of your body. The build-up will only get worse as the years go by until, eventually, it starts causing a lot of ear infections. If it gets bad enough, it can even lead to hearing loss later in life, which can drastically reduce your overall quality of life.