Find out the best way to clean your ears – 02/17/2024 – Balance

You may have heard the warning to never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear, or been scared by the story of a friend of a friend who ruptured her eardrum with a cotton swab. Although eardrum perforation injuries are “fairly uncommon,” they can be serious, says Seth Schwartz, an otolaryngology doctor at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle. And when they do happen, cotton swabs are often to blame.

Here’s why you should stop putting cotton swabs in your ears and how to think about cleaning them another way.

THE PROBLEM WITH Q-tips

The first thing to understand is that earwax is not an enemy that needs to be eliminated, says Alexandra Quimby, an otolaryngology doctor at Upstate University Hospital in New York.

This sticky, sometimes crumbly substance—made up of oily skin secretions, sweat, and dead skin cells—protects the delicate inner ear by trapping irritants like dirt, dust, bacteria, and fungus, and by regulating humidity.

Earwax also helps remove dead skin cells that slough off from the inner ear, Schwartz says. While you shower, or when you move your jaw while talking or chewing, earwax carries these dead skin cells from inside the ear canal to the outer ear, where they will eventually be expelled.

If you try to remove earwax with cotton swabs, you risk irritating the delicate skin of your inner ear, says Dr. Hae-Ok Ana Kim, a doctor who specializes in treating inner ear disorders at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the city. from New York.

The fibers in cotton swabs, although they appear “soft and fluffy,” she says, are “actually quite abrasive.” And this can cause your ear to produce more wax to protect the now-vulnerable skin.

Cotton swabs can also push earwax deeper into the ear canal, where it can cause a buildup, she said — leading to symptoms such as itching, pain, a feeling of fullness or dizziness. If it gets worse, it can even cause muffled hearing.

An estimated 5% of adults in the U.S. experience earwax buildup or impaction each year, although it may be more common in older adults or people who wear hearing aids.

Kim says people with skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis may also have a higher risk of impaction, as can people with small or differently shaped ear canals. If you think you might have an obstruction, see a doctor who can safely remove it, says Tiffany Peng Hwa, an otolaryngology doctor at Penn Medicine.

OTHER STRATEGIES FOR CLEANING YOUR EARS

The best way to keep your ears clean and healthy is to leave earwax alone, experts say. But if you absolutely can’t resist the urge to touch it inside — and who can? The ear is lined with nerve endings that, when stimulated, can be extremely pleasurable—experts have tips on how to clean them safely.

USE A TOWEL: Quimby recommends cleaning the outer ear with a damp towel, just as you would clean other parts of the body. “Clean as much of the outside as you can reach, but nothing deeper,” she said.

TRY EAR DROPS: To help your ear with its natural self-cleaning process, Schwartz recommends over-the-counter ear drops. These tend to be better for those with naturally drier earwax, he said, as they work by softening the wax, making it easier to remove. Some people find the drops ineffective — or as effective as using water drops — but because they are generally safe, experts recommend ear drops over cotton swabs.

AVOID HOMEMADE TOOLS: In addition to cotton swabs, experts warn against using any homemade or store-bought tools that allow you to scrape, pick up, or remove earwax. They can be as simple as paper clips, or they can be small curettes, brushes, or camera-tipped tweezers that you can buy at pharmacies or online. These tools are just as dangerous as cotton swabs, says Schwartz.

He also advises against heat cleansing, which involves placing the unlit end of a hollow candle in the ear canal and lighting the other end. This supposedly creates suction that pulls the earwax out. But “candles are both ineffective and dangerous,” says Schwartz. They can cause burns; and the remaining visible wax, which some people may take as proof that the technique worked, is actually just candle wax, not earwax.

IF YOU CANNOT RESIST THE Q-tips, USE THEM RESPONSIBLY: Still, some people feel the urge to use cotton swabs despite the risks, says Hwa. “If you’re using them to absorb some moisture around the ear opening, that’s probably acceptable,” she said. But it shouldn’t go deeper than that. And if your ears hurt, itch, or feel clogged, see a doctor who can diagnose a blockage and safely remove it. This is “the least risky approach,” says Hwa.