Why You Not Clean Your Ears With A Cotton Swab

Why You Should Avoid Cleaning Your Ears With A Cotton Swab.

Next time you come out of the shower and are tempted to use a cotton swab to clean your ears, think of all those people who have caused themselves injury by poking their ears with these buds. 

In fact, more than 30 per cent of adults use cotton swabs to clean their ears, and most of them are unaware of the potential damage. Regular use of these buds can lead to skin irritation, infection, and even hearing loss.

Ear wax has antifungal and antibacterial properties as it keeps the inner skin protected from becoming too dry. 

Ear wax naturally travels to the outer edge of the ear, without any help from an external source. If you block your ears with headphones, you will prevent the wax from coming out and as a result, wax build-up will occur.

The dangers of inserting cotton buds in the ear.

The ear canal has special cells that are commonly known as wax. Some people tend to experience more wax accumulation than others. Over time, your ability to hear becomes increasingly difficult, and in some instances, you may even experience pain. 

Whilst you may resort to using swabs to remove your excess wax, you could cause more damage to your ears. A better and safer alternative would be to see a medical professional. 

A swab can easily reach the eardrum and rupture it just by using the gentlest pressure.

The pain you will experience would be so severe that the punctured eardrum will also leak out a clear fluid. It will take quite some time for the damaged eardrum to heal, but if the puncture was serious, it can lead to conductive hearing loss. 

The skin around the ear canal is highly delicate and can be scratched by the cotton bud. If after you’ve inserted the swab inside your ear, you see the cotton swab change colour from white to yellow, you may feel that it’s doing a good job of cleaning the ear canal.

However, what you’ve actually done is pushed out the wax even further inside the ear canal where it will be difficult to come out. Not only do cotton swabs push the wax deeper into the canal, but they also damage the delicate structures of the middle ear.

This can cause permanent hearing loss later in life, swelling, and even bleeding.

In most cases, the inner ear area doesn’t need to cleaned at all. 

When you are having a shower or washing your hair, some water enters into your ear canal and loosens the built-up wax. What’s more, the skin in the ear canal tends to grow in a spiral pattern, thus helping the ear wax to slide out naturally.

Home remedies for cleaning out ear wax

If you wish to try alternative and safer methods to clean your ears, consider using a salt water solution to flush out the built-up wax from your ears. Simply dab a few drops of this solution in your ear and flush. Don’t forget to use lukewarm water rather than cold water.

Baby oil and mineral oil are the other effective methods of cleaning the inside of your ear passages. To ensure that you’re not allergic to these ingredients, test a few drops on your wrist first. Wait for a few hours to see a reaction before dabbing the oil in your ears. 

Hydrogen peroxide also helps clean the wax out of the ear canals. However, if you still suffer from heavy wax build-up even after trying all the above methods, you should consider irrigation or syringing as your last resort. 

Irrigation will require a trip to your local doctor’s office. This medical professional can remove the ear wax by injecting the ear with water and peroxide solution. This process is virtually painless and highly effective in removing heavy wax build-up.