Posted on: January 16, 2012
Remember when your parents used to tell you, “don’t stick anything smaller than your elbow in you ear?” Well, that advice still rings true. Yet many of our patients tell us that they stick cotton swabs in their ears on a regular basis in order to clean out that pesky ear wax. This is possibly one of the worst things you can do for your ears. In many cases using a cotton swab only pushes the wax further into the canal. Worse still, doing so can result in a punctured eardrum, a much worse situation than a bit of wax.
Fortunately, nature is aware of the problem and does most of the work for you. That is, wax will typically work its way out of the ear on its own. All you have to do is take a cloth and gently wipe around the outer edge of the ear canal to remove any visible wax. Of course, in some cases wax does become stuck in the canal. If this happens try using mineral oil. A few drops a day for about a week should soften the wax enough that it can drain on its own. If this does not work it is advisable to see your family Physician to have the wax professionally removed.
If you have any questions about wax removal or any other hearing related topic please feel free to contact our clinic at 252-3004 or 423-7734.