Understanding Earwax Blockage – Causes and Symptoms

Share This Post

Understanding Earwax Blockage – Causes and Symptoms

Understanding Earwax Blockage – Causes and Symptoms

A variety of protective systems prevent entrance of infection or foreign body into a person. Earwax is such a system.

What It Is–“Earwax” is a combination of fatty acids, cholesterol, skin flake debris from the canal walls, and dirt and dust from the environment. It normally “flows” out of the ear, expelling entrapped debris including any bugs that have not been deterred by cerumen odor or consistency.

Understanding Earwax Blockage 1

When It’s a Problem–Earwax complaints range from “my ear is plugged” to “I’m dizzy” to “gunk is coming out of my ear” to “I’ve got a bug or sound in my ear.” Complaints vary with underlying cause, e.g., ear canal irritation, infected areas around hairs in the ear canal, external debris embedded in earwax, viscous discharge through eardrum perforation, insects, etc. The presenting complaint may not be specific.

Getting a Diagnosis—“Cerumen impaction” is a medical diagnosis made on the basis of visual inspection of the external auditory canal by a physician. Audiologists, hearing instrument dispensers, and others, depending on state licensing, may also recognize and manage the problem.

Management Strategy–Over-the-counter cerumen removal kits are available which soften hardened cerumen and provide a bulb syringe to flush earwax from the ear canal. A person with eardrum perforation or ear surgery history should avoid self management, because irrigation may infect the middle ear. An “ear” professional may end up mechanically removing impaction, “digging it out.” Sometimes earwax must be softened with eardrops over several days before wax can be removed.

Understanding Earwax Blockage

“Can I Do It Myself”—People have used glycerine, hydrogen peroxide, baby oil, and a variety of other drops for loosening wax so it will flow from the ear on its own. Sometimes these are coupled with irrigation strategies.

Rule of Thumb—If a person has ear pain, perforation, or ear surgery history, that person should avoid the OTC approach and avoid any alternative management schemes, e.g., ear candling.

Efficient earwax management will keep the ear canal sound pathway open so those waves get into the actual organ of hearing.

More To Explore

Health and Food

Cosmetic Chemicals in Fast Food

I agree with the adage ‘You are what you Eat’ but personally, I don’t want to eat make-up, moisturizer, or sunscreen. We should not have

happiness

Being Happy

Being happy doesn’t mean that everything’s perfect it just means you’ve decided to look beyond imperfections.    

weight loss

10 Foods That Cause Weight Gain

10 Foods That Cause Weight Gain [nextpage title=”…”] Have you ever thought about why Americans are often heavy? We tend to place blame on too

Inspiration

FAILURE DOESNT KILL YOU…

FAILURE DOESNT KILL YOU… it increases your desire to make something happen.

Scroll to Top