ear wax – Hello Doctor

What does your earwax colour mean?

May 3rd, 2019 by The Hello Doctor Team

Earwax (cerumen) is an oily, waxy substance that’s naturally made by glands in the outer ear canal to protect your ears. It’s a mixture of oil, sweat, dirt and dead skin cells.

The sticky wax stops dust, germs and foreign objects from entering your ear canal, as well as moisturising it and protecting it. The wax also has antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Because it’s sticky, earwax collects tiny remains which find its way into your ear canal, much like flypaper traps insects, explains the Healthy Hearing team. “Without this defensive barrier, your inner ear would be at risk.”

Sometimes the ears make more wax than it needs, which can lead to a build-up of earwax. Other times, you might notice that the colour has changed from yellow to dark brown, green, red or even black. Not sure when to be alarmed?

The colour: normal vs. abnormal

Earwax is light in colour. Interestingly, genes control the intensity of the colour and whether your earwax is sticky and yellow, or flaky and white. Anything from white to dark yellow and even brown to black is normal. Very dark wax could just mean that a lot of dirt has been trapped in your earwax.

But you should get your ears checked out if your earwax colour is:

Green: This could be a sign of an ear infection, which would need treatment with antibiotics.
Grey: This could point to a fungal infection. A visit to your doctor and antifungal ointment should resolve the problem.
Red: If you notice blood, it could mean that the inside of your ear has a scratch. But it could also signal a serious infection or even a burst eardrum. Don’t risk it – see your doctor as soon as possible.

When to visit a doctor

The colour of your earwax is only one of the signs that could point to a problem within your ears. Other signs to watch out for, and which would warrant a visit to your doctor, include:

An ear that feels full.
Drainage from the ear.
A build-up of earwax that interferes with your hearing or causes pain or discomfort.
A change in the colour of your earwax that’s accompanied by pain, discomfort and/or fever.

If there’s a build-up of wax, don’t be tempted to remove it yourself. You could damage your ear canal and your hearing. And a note on those earbuds: best to steer clear of them as they tend to do more harm than good!

References:

What you didn’t know about earwax

April 13th, 2017 by The Hello Doctor Team

Ew… wax!
Earwax is perfectly normal. Also called cerumen, it’s a normal by-product of a health ear. Earwax is created by modified sweat glands deep inside the outer ear canal. Everyone produces earwax, although some people produce more than others – just like some people perspire more than others. Earwax actually serves a purpose; in fact it’s essential for the health of ear as it keeps the tissues of the ear canal lubricated and provides a sort of safety net that protects the ear drum from foreign objects. It is known that the amount of wax you produce is genetically determined.

Too much?
The healthy ear has a self-cleaning system: the tiny hairs that line the ear canal act as a conveyer belt and remove the wax very slowly as it accumulates. When you pull a small amount of wax from the opening of your ear canal, you are removing cerumen that has been moved several millimetres from where it was produced. It’s important to never disturb this self-cleaning system by placing a finger, Q-tip, or other small pointed object into the ear canal. Not only can this cause traumatic injury to the delicate tissues of the ear canal, but it will push the wax deeper and tighter into the ear canal.
Ouch, it hurts
If you’ve pushed wax deep into your ear, you might feel a lot of pain. The outer ear canal is very sensitive.

Even if you don’t have pain, you might notice a sudden loss of hearing, ear fullness or ear noise. All of these symptoms might be an indication that the ear wax is impacted deep in the ear canal. If this is the case see a doctor or an audiologist as soon as possible. A physician, nurse, or audiologist are all qualified to remove ear wax.

How a doctor removes wax
Wax build-up can cause symptoms like itchy ears, dizziness, a sensation of blocked ears and even a diminished sense of hearing. The first thing we reach for is a earbud or pin. Not only does using these implements worsen the problem, but cleaning your ears with pointed objects can damage the canal and the eardrum.

To solve the problem of blocked ears, best would be to visit your doctor for a proper syringing. Prior to your visit, put some wax-softening drops in your ear. Waxol drops work well.

Here’s how you get those nasty wax plugs out of your ears:

Place some wax softening ear drops in your ear canal for a day or two.
Get a suction bulb (like the ones used to suck mucus from a baby’s nose) and body-temperature water.
By softly aiming a gentle stream of water to the top part of the ear canal, you may manage to dislodge and wash some of the wax out.
Repeat the process a few of times.
If you don’t have any success, stop! Continuous washing may damage the canal or ear drum.

When should you NOT self-syringe:

If you have grommets
If you have or previously had a hole in your tempanic membrane
If you have ear pain
If your ear canal is exceptionally narrow
If you’ve experienced dizzy spells

REFERENCES:

http://www.health24.com/Medical/Hearing-management/About-hearing-management/How-a-doctor-would-remove-your-earwax-20150824

To ear bud, or not to ear bud – That is the question!

June 22nd, 2015 by The Hello Doctor Team

For years the ear bud has been a constant fixture in most bathroom cabinets. Take a couple out, a quick dab in one ear, a quick dab in the other – what’s the harm? Well, the most obvious is getting part of it stuck in your ear! That aside, regular ear bud use can also lead to skin irritation, infection and even hearing loss.

Continue reading “To ear bud, or not to ear bud – That is the question!”