Symptoms and treatment of the obstruction of the Wax of the ears
Earwax blockage
Description
Earwax blockage occurs when the wax (cerumen) accumulates in your ear or becomes too hard to wash away naturally.
The earwax is a helpful and natural part of your body's defenses. It cleans, coats and protects your ear canal by trapping dirt and slowing the growth of bacteria.
If earwax blockage becomes a problem, your health care provider can take simple steps to remove the wax safely.
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of earwax blockage may include:
- Ear pain
- Feeling of fullness in the ear
- Ringing or noises in the ears (tinnitus)
- Hearing loss
- Dizziness
- Cough
- Itching in the ear
- Odor, or discharge in the ear
- Pain or infection in the ear
When to see a doctor
The wax of the ears lock that does not have symptoms can sometimes clear on its own. However, if you have signs and symptoms of earwax blockage, talk with your health care provider.
The signs and symptoms can be a sign of another disease. There is No way of knowing if you have too much wax in the ear, without having to someone, usually your health care provider, look in your ears. Have signs and symptoms, such as pain in the ears or loss of hearing, does not always mean you have wax buildup. You may have another health condition that requires attention.
Wax removal is most safely done by a health care provider. Your ear canal and eardrum are delicate and can be damaged easily. Don't try to remove earwax yourself by putting anything in your ear canal, such as a cotton swab, especially if you have had ear surgery, have a hole (perforation) in the eardrum, or have ear pain or drainage.
Children usually have their ears checked as part of any medical examination. If necessary, a health care provider can remove excess earwax from the ears of your child during an office visit.
Causes
The wax in your ears is done by the glands of the skin of the external auditory canal. The wax and the microvilli in these passages of the trap dust and other materials that may damage the deepest parts of your ear, as his eardrum.
In most individuals, a small amount of wax in the ears regularly makes its way to the hole of the ear. In the opening, washed or falls as new wax replaces it. If your ears do too much wax or if the wax is not cleared well enough, you can build up and block the ear canal.
The wax of the ears crashes often happen when people are trying to get the wax of the ears by your account through the use of cotton swabs or other items in their ears. Usually, only pushes deeper of wax in the ear, instead of deleting it.
Earwax blockage
Diagnosis
Your healthcare provider can see if you have earwax blockage by looking in your ear. Your doctor uses a special instrument that lights and magnifies your inner ear (otoscope) to look in your ear.
Treatment
Your health care provider can remove the excess wax with a small, curved tool called a curet or through the use of techniques of suction. Your provider can also rinse the wax using a syringe filled with warm water and a saline solution or dilute hydrogen peroxide. Medicated ear drops may also be recommended to help soften the wax, such as carbamide peroxide (Debrox earwax removal Kit, Murine Ear Wax Removal System). Because these drops can irritate the delicate skin of the eardrum and ear canal, use only as directed.
If the accumulation of wax in the ears continues, you should visit your health care provider once or twice a year for regular cleaning. Your doctor may also recommend that you use the wax of the ears, softening agents, such as saline, mineral oil, or olive oil. This helps to loosen the wax, so that you can leave the ear more easily.
Self-care
You can get many ear cleaning home remedies over the counter. But most of these treatments, such as irrigation or ear vacuum kits are not well studied. This means that it will not work and can be dangerous.
The safest way to clean your ears if you have excess wax is to see your health care provider. If you are prone to earwax blockage, your provider can show you safe ways to reduce the buildup of cerumen in the home, such as the use of ear drops or other ear wax softening agents. People should not use ear drops if you have an ear infection unless recommended by a healthcare professional.
Do not try to dig it out
Never try to pull or excessive hardening of the wax of the ears with the available items, such as a paper clip, a cotton swab or a fork. You can push the wax further into your ear and cause serious damage to the lining of the ear canal or eardrum.
Alternative medicine
Some people try to remove the wax of the ear, using a technique called ear candling (ear coning). Ear candling involves lighting one end of a hollow, cone-shaped candle and placing the other unlit end in the ear. The idea is that the heat of the flame is going to create a vacuum seal which pulls the wax out of the ear.
However, ear candling is not a recommended treatment for earwax blockage. Research has found that ear candling does not work. You can also burn or damage the ear.
Essential oils — like tea tree oil or garlic oil — are not a proven treatment for earwax blockage. There is No data that shows they are safe to remove the wax of the ear, or working.
Talk with your doctor before trying any alternative remedies for the removal of the wax of the ears.
Preparing for your appointment
It is likely to start by seeing your health care provider. In some cases, however, you may be referred to a doctor with special training in disorders of the ear (ear, nose and throat specialist).
As you prepare for your appointment, it is a good idea to write a list of questions. Your health care provider may have questions for you, such as:
- How long have you been having symptoms, such as pain in the ears or loss of hearing?
- Have you had any ear drainage?
- Has had pain in the ears, hearing problems or drain in the past?
- Do your symptoms occur all the time or only sometimes?
