Wax Plug
What is ear wax?
Ear wax, also called earwax, is made by the body to protect the ears. The wax has both lubricating and antibacterial properties. Most of the time, the old wax is moved through the ear canal through movements such as chewing and other jaw movements and as the skin of the canal grows from the inside out. At that point, it reaches the outside of the ear and flakes off. The wax is produced on the outside of the ear canal, not deep inside the ear.
What does it mean when the wax turns into a plug?
We say that a plug of wax forms when it has accumulated in the ear canal to the point that there are signs that something is wrong. It is important to note that, for most people, the ears will never need cleaning - they are designed to clean themselves. Wax build-up and blockage often occurs when people use things like cotton swabs or hairpins to try to clean their ears. This only pushes the wax into the ears and can also cause ear injury.
What are the symptoms of a wax plug?
- A feeling of pressure or plugging
- Pain in the ear
- Difficulty hearing, which may continue to get worse
- Ringing in the ears (ringing in the ears)
- Itchy sensation in the ear
- discharge from the ear
- An odor coming from the ear
- dizziness
Who suffers from earwax build-up?
Earwax buildup can happen to anyone. However, it is more likely to happen to:
- People who wear hearing aids or earplugs
- People who put cotton swabs or other items in their ears
- Older people
- People with developmental disabilities
- People with ear canals that have a shape that interferes with the natural way of getting rid of wax.
How is earwax plug diagnosed?
Your doctor can look inside your ears with a special instrument, called an otoscope, to see if there is a buildup of earwax.
How is earwax plug treated?
Earwax can be removed in several ways; some of these methods can be done at home.
- Clean the outside of the ear with a cloth.
- Put cerumenolytic solutions (solutions that dissolve wax) in the ear canal - these solutions include mineral oils, baby oils, glycerin, peroxide-based ear drops, hydrogen peroxide, and saline solutions.
- Irrigate or syringe the ear - this involves using a syringe to flush the ear canal with water or a saline solution, usually after the wax has been softened or dissolved by a cerumenolytic.
- Remove wax manually using special instruments - this should be done only by a medical professional who may use a wax spoon, forceps, or a suction instrument.
Note: Irrigation should not be done by or to a person who has, or thinks may have, a perforation (hole) in his eardrum or tubes in the affected ears.
Commercially available suction instruments for home use (such as the WaxVac) are not effective for most people and therefore are not recommended. Ear candles, advertised as a natural method of removing ear wax, are not only ineffective, but they can also cause ear injury. Injuries include burns to the outer ear and ear canal and perforation of the eardrum.
What are the possible complications of a wax plug or obstruction?
If left untreated, having too much wax in the ears can cause earwax clogging symptoms to get worse. These symptoms can include hearing loss, ear irritation, etc. A buildup of earwax can also make it difficult to see inside the ear, potentially resulting in the inability to diagnose problems.
How can wax clogging or plugging be prevented?
Don't put anything in your ears to clean them. Use the cotton buds only on the outside of the ear. If you have a severe enough problem with ear wax that you need a medical professional to remove it more than once a year, talk to them to see what prevention method (if any) might work best for you. .
Please consult your healthcare provider for information about a specific medical condition.
Source: Cleveland
