Ear Wax – What is it?

Doctors always say, “Never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear”. It’s good advice. Ear pods, hearing aids, ear plugs, and even water, in fact anything you put in your ears can be a potential cause of excess ear wax, inflammation and discomfort.

Ear wax is a yellow, orange or brown waxy substance secreted inside the ear canal, and is essential for both ear hygiene and protection. Ear wax assists in cleaning and lubricating the ear canal and provides protection against bacteria, fungi, insects, and water. It usually passes out of the ears harmlessly, but sometimes excess ear wax can build up and block the ears. 

A build-up of ear wax is a common problem that can often be treated using eardrops bought from a pharmacy or the healthcare aisle of your supermarket.

Symptoms

A build-up of ear wax in your ear can cause:

• earache
• muffled hearing and hearing loss
• itchiness or discomfort, in or around the ear
• dizziness

These problems will usually improve once the excess earwax has been removed. If symptoms persist or worsen, please seek medical attention.

Causes

Some people regularly get blocked ears because they naturally produce a lot of ear wax.

Other factors that can cause excessive ear wax include:

• Frequent insertion of objects into your ear canal such as cotton buds, ear plugs or hearing aids as they not only stop ear wax escaping naturally but can push the wax further in.
• narrow or hairy ear canals (the tube between the opening of the ear and the eardrum).
• Age – in older people ear wax becomes drier, harder, and more difficult to remove.
• bony growths in the outer part of the ear canal.

Treatment

A build-up of ear wax is a common problem that can often be treated using eardrops bought from a pharmacy or local supermarket.

Do not use your fingers or any objects like cotton buds to remove earwax. This will push it in and make it worse.

Cl-ear has a range of products to treat ear wax build up including:

Cl-ear Express Ear Drops – dual action drops to treat ear wax quickly and effectively.

Cl-ear Olive Oil Ear Drops – the natural and gentle way to treat problem ear wax.

Cl-ear Olive Oil Ear Spray – the natural and gentle way to treat problem ear wax in an easy to use spray.

If the product you are using doesn’t work or your symptoms persist or get worse, consult a healthcare professional.