Fact Checked
The characteristic of a compacted ear wax is like hearing ringing in the ear, there is a feeling of discomfort and difficulty of hearing in the ear. There are several causes of a compacted ear wax:
- Overproduction of ear wax in the ear. The body produces greater amounts of wax than what is needed in preventing dirt and debris from getting into the ear. If the ear gets clogged with wax, it becomes hardened and causing blockage of the eardrum, loss of hearing and discomfort.
- Improper methods of cleaning the ears in which the wax is pushed back into the ear canal that will cause impaction when the wax becomes hardened and causing clogging. Another wrong way is jamming a cotton swab or a finger into the ear canal can cause further impaction of the wax into the eardrum. You have to allow the wax to go out of the ear naturally and wipe the external part of the ear with a washcloth to clean it.
- Placing an object inside the ear such as a hairpin or a paper clip can also cause the wax to be pushed into the ear drum, thus resulting to blockage and can also cause loss of hearing. It can also cause injury such as wounds inside the ear.
Treatment and home remedies in removing compacted earwax
When managing compacted earwax, the following measures can be performed. By enrolling in a class on first aid, you can effectively deal with compacted earwax.
- Use olive oil to soften the wax. It is done by tilting the head to one side and placing a few drops of warm olive oil into the ear. Allow it to stay for at least 10 minutes to slacken the wax. Do the same on the other ear and then clean both ears with a cotton ball. Use this routine daily to soften the wax. Mineral oil can be used if there is no olive oil available.
- After the wax has softened, use a rubber syringe to rinse the ear with warm water. Pulling the rear part of the ear straight backwards when rinsing is done to straighten the ear canal. By using a bulb syringe, tilt the head over and let the water drain out and use a clean and soft cloth in wiping the ear dry.
- After the ear wax has come out of the ears, use the hair dryer in the lowest setting to dry the ear canals by holding the hair dryer a few inches away from the head.
Do not use swab, hairpins or anything hard in trying to dig out hardened earwax since these will only push the wax further down the ear canal and will cause severe pain and damage to the ear canal.
Preventing earwax
- Clean the outside parts of the ears regularly with a piece of clean cloth.
- Apply a few drops of peroxide or warm water to each ear to keep the wax soft and preventing blockage.
- Avoid sticking something into the ears in attempting to remove the earwax since this can cause impaction.