![]() It also stops water from irritating the delicate lining of the ear canal. It has lubricating and antibacterial properties and traps and prevents dust, bacteria and other microbes from entering and damaging the ear. These ways of removing wax are not effective and can cause an injury or infection.Ear wax (cerumen) is naturally produced by glands within the outer ear canal. When to Call Your Doctorĭo not try to remove wax with a cotton-tip swab, olive oil, or ear candle. This doctor is trained to use special wax removal instruments in the ear canal and may do this while looking through a microscope. You may need to see an ear, nose, throat specialist. Sometimes a very large and hard impaction, or an impaction in a crooked or narrowed ear canal, cannot be removed by a primary care doctor. After this treatment, your doctor may place some acidic or alcohol drops into your ear to reduce the risk of an ear infection. In some cases, the wax can be flushed out without the drops. When the wax is soft, a special wax removal syringe may flush out the wax. If a wax impaction is the cause of your symptoms, and you do not have any history of a perforated ear drum, or ear surgery, your doctor may use a wax softening ear drop like mineral oil or hydrogen peroxide to soften the wax. Your primary care doctor can look in your ear canal with a lighted scope, called an otoscope. If the OTC treatment does not work or you don’t want to try it, see your primary care doctor. Cold water flushed into your ear can cause dizziness. If you use the bulb syringe, make sure the water is at body temperature. These drops soften the wax and may include a bulb syringe to flush out the softened wax.ĭo not use drops or flush out your ear if you have a perforated eardrum or a history of middle ear surgery. ![]() If you do not have symptoms of external otitis you can try an over-the-counter ear drop. If you have external otitis your ear canal can become red, swollen, and very painful. ![]() These are symptoms caused by wax impaction:īulb syringes are a common at-home remedy for impacted ear wax.Īn impacted ear canal is more likely to get infected, called external otitis. You want to remove a wax impaction to relieve any uncomfortable symptoms, improve hearing, or clear the ear canal if a doctor needs to look at your eardrum to diagnose an ear disease. You could have a wax impaction without any symptoms, in which case you don’t have to do anything.
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