As far as body parts go, your ears are pretty low-maintenance. You don't even have to clean them out—though you probably do anyway.
And that's a bad idea. Especially if you're using cotton-tipped swabs to swipe at your inner ear, you're asking for trouble, says Brett Comer, MD, an assistant professor of otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat medicine) at the University of Kentucky.
Check out some of the common mistakes that you make with your ears and find out why it is important to avoid them.
Ears are vital organs of our body. Ears are not only important for our hearing but also are vital for maintaining balance. These are low-maintenance organs and a little care of the ear can go a long way to keep them hale and hearty. There are three parts of the ear: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. Though all of these three parts are involved in hearing, only the inner ear is functionally responsible for balance.
The outer ear directs the sound waves towards the eardrum which is also called the tympanic membrane. It also houses a modified form of sweat gland that produces ear wax. Ear wax is crucial because it is important for proper greasing and lubrication of the ear.The inner ear is an air-filled tube. Three bones namely malleus, incus and stapes are attached to the tympanic membrane. The inner ear is a group of tubes filled with a fluid. So an ear is a complicated organ and delicate as well. But the process of caring for the ear is surprisingly simple. However, we tend to mess it up by making certain mistakes which we should refrain from making.
You probably don’t need to clean your ears at all, let alone daily or every other day. Known technically as cerumen, earwax is made mostly of dead skin cells but is also contains lysozyme, an antibacterial enzyme, fatty acids, alcohols, cholesterol and squalene.3
Earwax isn’t a substance you need to guard your ears against; it’s actually beneficial and provides protection, lubrication and antibacterial properties. As explained by the American Hearing Research Foundation:4
“Too little ear wax increases the risk of infection … at least ten antimicrobial peptides are present in ear wax preventing bacteria and fungi from growing.”
Further, the skin in your ears grows in an outward direction in order to move earwax and skin debris out of your ear canal. The removal of earwax is also helped along by movements of your jaw (talking, chewing, etc.).
Once it reaches your outer ear it will simply fall out or be removed when you shower or bathe. You can use a washcloth to gently remove wax from your outer ear, if necessary, but you needn’t clean your ear canal.
In an interview with Common Health, Dr. Steven D. Rauch, professor of Otology and Laryngology at Harvard Medical School, explained:5
“The skin of the ear canal migrates outward like a conveyor belt and pushes the wax out, so by and large, ears are self-cleaning. If you leave your ears alone, they’ll leave you alone.
In some cases, because of the shape of the canal or the consistency of the wax, you need someone to clean it, but routinely, that’s not the case, and you’re thwarting the normal conveyor belt mechanics when you plow the stuff down into the deep part of the canal.”
Researchers have looked into the effectiveness of these candles, which purportedly break up and draw out your earwax. But those studies found no proof these candles actually do anything, says Richard Rosenfeld, MD, chair of otolaryngology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York. On the other hand, these candles could certainly harm your ear. "You could get a burn, or open up perforations in your eardrum," Comer says. Stay away.
Roughly 15% of Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have some level of hearing loss due to loud noise exposure, according to the National Institute on Deafness. And research from the Indian Journal of Otology (and plenty other places) suggests loud music played through earphones could be a major cause. Rosenfeld says in-ear buds—much more so than over-ear headphones—are likely to cause damage. "A general rule of thumb is if people around you can hear your music, you're playing it too loud," he says.
If cleaning your ear wax is unhealthy, cleaning it with a pointed object like a pen, pencil or anything similar is simply outrageous. It may permanently hurt the delicate tympanic membrane. Moreover, it may cause internal bruises which may later lead to infections.
Apart from the risks of cutting your canal or forcing wax back into your inner ear, sticking a finger in your ear is a mistake because your nails tend to conceal lots of microscopic bacteria that could cause an infection, Comer says.
Especially if you're diabetic or pre-diabetic, you're at greater risk for infection. "Diabetes damages your body's very small blood vessels, and also hurts the flow of blood to your ears," Comer explains. "So the stuff in your blood that your body naturally produces to fight infection doesn't get to your ears very effectively."
You have fond memories of your mother piercing your ears when you were a kid. But set your nostalgia aside and put down the needle. "I see infections related to this all the time," Comer says. "It's just really not a good idea." You want to visit a professional piercer who has the proper (and properly sterilized) instruments, Comer says.
In at least one way, hearing loss is like hair loss: whatever you lose is probably gone forever. "We all experience a little ringing or muffling from time to time," Rosenfeld says. "But if it's persistent or growing worse over time, you need to see someone."
Another reason to see a doc: You have ear pain. But its not necessarily because your ears are in trouble. "Ear pain is not always related to an ear problem," Rosenfeld says. Your jaw, teeth, and throat share common nerves with your ears. And so problems with any of them, including throat cancer, can manifest as ear pain, he explains.
So if you're having persistent pain—the kind that lasts more than a day or two—see someone about it, he advises.
Ear wax, as mentioned earlier, is very beneficial. Ears are self cleaning and self reliant. Normally one does not need to clean the ear wax because our ears produce only as much wax as it requires. It does not produce more wax as such.
Many at-home ear cleaners make use of hydrogen peroxide to clean their ears. Hydrogen peroxide, although a common household substance, is highly oxidizing in nature. People may insert it into their ears to soften earwax so that it can drain out. However, excessive use of hydrogen peroxide can lead to irritation of the skin inside the ear, which may cause inflammation and earaches.
An age-old method of getting rid of excessive earwax at home, inserting a few drops of warm baby or mineral oil in your ears is generally safe. However, care must be taken of the temperature of the oil before you drop it in your ears. If you warm the oil too much, it may cause burns in the skin of your ears and may even cause irreversible damage to the inner parts of your ears. Make sure the oil you use is only lukewarm and will not burn you. You might want to test it on the inner part of your wrist first.
Cotton swabs are bathroom staples, but they’re not meant for use in the ears. It even says so on most packaging. The rigid, pointy shape can damage the skin, eardrum, and ossicles. Swabs can also push the wax in deeper and cause impaction, Dr. Chernobilsky says. One more unpleasant possibility: the cotton head can pop off in your ear canal. If that happens, you need to see a doc to have it removed.
An ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor, or otolaryngologist, can remove earwax using a special suction, miniature instruments and a microscope. If your eardrum is perforated, manual removal by a physician is recommended, however in most other cases you can clear earwax blockages at home.
The simplest way to do this is to first soften the wax by placing a few drops of olive oil, coconut oil or water in your ear. Then, pour a capful of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide in each ear to flush the wax out. It’s worth noting that using plain sterile water, or a sterile saline solution, to soften earwax works just as well as oil or over-the-counter eardrops.
As an aside, the hydrogen peroxide trick (pouring a capful of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide in your ears) also works remarkably well at resolving respiratory infections, like colds and flu. You will hear some bubbling, which is completely normal, and possibly feel a slight stinging sensation. Wait until the bubbling and stinging subside (usually 5 to 10 minutes) then drain onto a tissue and repeat with the other ear.
It’s also worth noting that frequent excess buildup of earwax can oftentimes be traced back to an omega-3 deficiency. The remedy for this is quite simple: eat more omega-3s or take a high-quality animal-based omega-3 supplement like krill oil. Good dietary sources of omega-3 include sardines, anchovies and wild-caught Alaskan salmon.
