Ear Wax

What is ear wax?

Ear wax forms a protective coating of the skin in the ear canal. Small amounts are made all the time. Flakes or crusts of wax break off and fall out of the ear from time to time.

The quantity of ear wax made varies greatly from person to person. Plugs of wax form in some people. This may cause a feeling of fullness and dulled hearing. A doctor or nurse can look into the ear canal and confirm a plug of wax has formed. A plug of wax is not a serious problem, more a nuisance. You only need to remove wax if it is causing symptoms such as dulled hearing, itch, or discomfort.

Note: do not try to clean the ear canal with cotton wool buds, etc. This can make things worse as you will push some wax deeper inside. It may also cause an ear infection. Let the ear 'clean itself'.

What can I do if wax builds up and causes problems?

Ear drops
Ear drops alone will often clear a plug of wax. You can buy drops from pharmacies. For example, sodium bicarbonate, almond oil, or olive oil ear drops. Warm the drops to room temperature before using them. (Let the bottle stand in the room for about half an hour.) Pour a few drops into the affected ear. Lie with the affected ear uppermost when putting in drops. Stay like this for 2-3 minutes to allow the drops to soak into the wax. The wax is softened, and it often breaks up if you put drops in 3-4 times a day for 5-7 days. Flakes or crusts of wax usually fall out bit by bit.

Ear syringing
This may be needed if ear drops do not work. Syringing will usually clear wax. But, it will usually only work if the plug of wax has been softened. Therefore, use ear drops to soften wax 2-3 times a day for five days prior to syringing. Ear syringing is usually painless. Lukewarm water is squirted into the ear canal. This dislodges the softened plug which then falls out with the water.

Some people feel dizzy after ear syringing, but this quickly settles. Some people develop an inflammation in the ear canal following ear syringing. This causes itch and discomfort, but can be treated with ear drops. Rarely, ear syringing can cause serious damage to the ear or eardrum.

Ear syringing may not be advised if you have certain ear problems. In particular, if you:

• Have had surgery for some types of ear problems.
• Have recurring infection of the ear canal (recurring otitis externa).
• Have or have had a perforated ear drum.
• Are deaf in your other ear (as there is a very small risk that syringing can cause deafness in your good ear and so make you deaf in both ears.)

© EMIS and PIP 2006   Updated: June 2006   PRODIGY Validated

The authors and editors of this article are employed to create accurate and up to date content reflecting reliable research evidence, guidance and best clinical practice. They are free from any commercial conflicts of interest.

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