- Don't remove earwax
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free skin care · Sun Aug 31, 2008 3:14 am

(ScienceDaily, Aug31, 2008) - The age-old advice to routinely clean out earwax is discouraged under the first published guidelines from health care professionals about removing wax from the ear.

"Unfortunately, many people feel the need to manually remove earwax, called cerumen, which serves an important protective function for the ear", said the guidelines' lead author, Dr Peter Roland, chairman of otolaryngology - head and neck surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

"Cotton swabs and some other home remedies can push cerumen further into the canal, potentially foiling the natural removal process and instead cause build-up, known as impaction".

The guidelines recommend professionals use wax-dissolving agents, irrigation or ear syringing, or manually remove it with a suction device or other specialty instrument under supervised care to avoid damaging the ear or further impaction.

Here is the complete article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829091308.htm

free skin care · Sun Aug 31, 2008 6:58 am

I've been told this for years by my ENT. My GP does a regular clean-up when I ask for it now. The rest of my family won't listen though and regularly 'dig for gold'.

free skin care · Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:31 am

I was advised by a doctor to wrap a wet corner of a towel around my little finger after shower to wash my ears. You don't want to cleanse deeper than the finger reaches. It works well. I think most people keep the earwax under control without digging in the depth "for gold", as Marina put it. Smile

free skin care · Sun Aug 31, 2008 12:35 pm

I have the ahppbit of using cotton swabs to
clean my ears after shower, most ot the time is more for drying the inside of the ears rather than for the earwax. I will try to use towels more instead.

free skin care · Tue Sep 02, 2008 1:29 pm

Wouldn't swimming help clean out the ears? I've always had clean ears when I used to swim and never really had to dig for anything!

free skin care · Tue Sep 02, 2008 4:03 pm

Ear wax removal is a MUST, in my bathroom. In my opinion, I don't care what the specialist say. I use a Q-Tip gently and remove by spinning, and I do it every night after I get out of the shower. I have water in my ears, and if I do not remove the wax, the water gets behind the wax and then my ears are plugged up. I also go in for my yearly examine and he uses a very large Q-Tip thing to clean them out completely. It feels so good and I can hear so much better. He usually gets lots of grime and wax and "watery" stuff that comes out. I always feel so much better, and it makes it so I don't get sinus infections often. I always notice when it is nearing the end of the year when it is time for me to go get it done again. I can feel they are clogged and I almost feel dizzy, because it throws off my balance having clogged ears. I say get it done professionally, you will feel like a million bucks.

free skin care · Tue Sep 02, 2008 4:04 pm

I use ear candles every so often, it is best to have someone to help with this, but that gets the wax out easily and safely...

free skin care · Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:42 pm

I am guilty of the q-tip procedure and September girl is right. On the occasion I miss a cleaning low and behold theres a lump of ear wax that I can easilytake out with my just my finger. So really its not necessary to go any further with a Qtip or any other instrument for that matter. The ear does a pretty good job of cleaning itself.

free skin care · Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:57 pm

SusieQ wrote:

I am guilty of the q-tip procedure and September girl is right. On the occasion I miss a cleaning low and behold theres a lump of ear wax that I can easilytake out with my just my finger. So really its not necessary to go any further with a Qtip or any other instrument for that matter. The ear does a pretty good job of cleaning itself.

Found this topic quite funny Laughing

I feel we are all guilty of forgetting to care for our ears, I know I am. but i did buy this ear wax cleaner from the chemist - you tilt you head to one side and place the nozzle in your ear and press the button. And it squirts some solution into your ear that helps break up the wax. I used it on my dad and heaps of wax came out Laughing

But for me a Qtip does work best and its fast.

free skin care · Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:07 pm

MarciaNZ wrote:

SusieQ wrote:

I am guilty of the q-tip procedure and September girl is right. On the occasion I miss a cleaning low and behold theres a lump of ear wax that I can easilytake out with my just my finger. So really its not necessary to go any further with a Qtip or any other instrument for that matter. The ear does a pretty good job of cleaning itself.

Found this topic quite funny Laughing

I feel we are all guilty of forgetting to care for our ears, I know I am. but i did buy this ear wax cleaner from the chemist - you tilt you head to one side and place the nozzle in your ear and press the button. And it squirts some solution into your ear that helps break up the wax. I used it on my dad and heaps of wax came out Laughing

But for me a Qtip does work best and its fast.

Heres an easy way as well and you don't have to spend any money. In the shower tilt your head and if you have a shower massage head, dial it to the strong, straight stream and let it flow into the ear for about 30 seconds. Next day you may have a present! Very Happy

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