How often should I clean my ears?

Ear wax. We all have it, but it’s something we don’t like to talk about. It’s naturally produced by your ear s and is mainly comprised of; old skin cells, dust and debris and oily secretions from modified sweat glands. Ear wax actually does several very useful things. It protects the skin in the ear canal, acts as a defence against dirt and bacteria, and helps to clean and lubricate the ear. A little ear wax is perfectly normal and healthy, but you can have too much of a good thing and excess ear wax can cause your ears to become blocked.

You understand the importance of hygiene and self-care. You wash properly every day. You brush your teeth twice a day and floss. You wash your hair often enough without over washing it and you even scrub under your fingernails. However, there may be one part of you that isn’t quite as spotlessly clean as you may think… and that’s your ears. Although many of us regularly clean our ears with a cotton swab, many hearing health care providers argue against this as it has the potential to do more harm than good. Your earwax has natural antiseptic and antifungal properties and helps us to prevent infections from creeping into our bodies through our ears.

To use safe and sound health’s reusable ear cleaners to clean the ears and remove excess earwax: use the cupped end to gently scoop excess earwax from the area around the entrance to the ear canal the ribbed end is used to remove excess earwax and exfoliate the out areas of the ear earwax serves a purpose to a healthy ear. Therefore this product should only be used to remove excess earwax it is not recommended to use safe and sound health reusable ear cleaners more than once a week for removing excess earwax do not insert the reusable ear cleaners deep into the ear canal or nose.

Most animals tolerate routine ear cleaning well but if you are finding it very difficult to clean your dog’s ears do not struggle alone. If you are unable to clean your dog’s ears easily you will not do a very good job, and may in fact damage the ears more and you may make your dog afraid of you handling its head. If your dog’s ears are very sore, or if your dog is difficult to handle, your vet may need to sedate or anaethetise your dog in order to be able to clean its ears effectively.

Why your ears make wax

Our ear care clinic situated in yeovil conducts pain-free and safe ear wax removal in a state-of-the-art setting. Are your ears blocked? by attending our yeovil audiology clinic you will be able to get comfortable treatment.

Initially, the consultant will ask you a few questions. These will be about your general health and the current condition of your ears. Once this has been completed to their satisfaction, the consultant will examine your ear canal. Most ear wax removal services will now use a suction tool to remove any blockages. In the run-up to your appointment, you may have been asked to apply olive oil or special ear drops aimed at loosening the wax. Depending on the severity of the ear wax build up, a matter of minutes.

If you think you have ear wax, do not try to clean the ear canal with cotton wool buds. This can make things worse, as you will push some earwax deeper inside. It may also cause an ear infection. For this same reason, in general, we advise against putting foreign objects like cotton wool buds in your ear. Your ears are designed to naturally remove wax. Some people are more prone to a hard build-up of wax that makes it more difficult. If you are prone to repeated wax build up you can continue to use olive oil drops twice a week to prevent recurrence.

If your ear wax blockage is more significant where the ear wax builds up in your ears and becomes too hard to wash away naturally, you should see a doctor. Doctors typically use one of two methods to remove ear wax:  irrigation or curettage. Irrigation is the most common method your doctor will use to remove blockages. Unlike at-home ear wax removal kits, your doctor may use stronger ear wax removal medications in conjunction with irrigation. Carbamide peroxide is typically the main ingredient in these medications. Curettage, the less common method, involves the use of a curette. A curette is a long, curved instrument that is used along with suction to scrape ear wax gently from the ear canal, removing the blockage.

How to protect your ears

Mr collins has over 35 years nursing experience. He has completed specialised training in ear care, ear wax removal and microsuctioning. The treatment that you will receive at lyme bay ear clinic ltd follows our health and safety; safeguarding; data protection and retention; and equal opportunities, anti-discrimination and diversity policies. Our nominated individual for safeguarding is mr john collins.

Ear wax is normal and is produced to form a protective coating over the skin in the ear canal. Ears are normally self-cleaning – the movement of your jaw whilst eating and talking helps to move the wax along the canal where it will usually fall out naturally without you noticing.

The reason we feel tempted to clean our ears is because of that substance called cerumen, commonly called earwax. It’s normal for your body to produce it, and it actually helps protect and lubricate your ears. If you didn’t have earwax , your ears would probably be itchy and dry. It even has antibacterial properties, which means your ears are self-cleaning. Earwax is like a filter for your ears, keeping out harmful things like dirt and dust, and trapping them so they don’t go deep inside. When you chew and move your jaw, you help move old earwax out of the ear canal to the ear opening.

How to tell if your earwax is normal, and when you should have it professionally removed

Zoe h "i made an appointment with les to remove earwax as my ears had become blocked. My ears were painful and my hearing poor. Les removed the earwax quickly and painlessly, throughout the process he explained exactly what he was doing. I hadn't realised just how much the wax had affected my hearing until it was removed. I will definitely be visiting swindon hearing specialists again to ensure my ears remain clear and pain free!" geoff harvey "an excellent service from les at swindon hearing, very polite and knowledgeable. I received micro-suction which was painless and very quick, i felt very comfortable and confident in les' hands as i normally get my ears syringed with the nhs so was a bit nervous, not any more this was so pleasant and i didn't notice anything and also there was no discomfort.

Can I clean my ears myself?

Microsuction earwax removal uses a vacuum to gently remove any excess wax from your ears. It’s one of the most effective services for cleaning your ears and can be completed by one of our pharmacists in store.

Many cats will not tolerate ear cleaning well unless you have trained them from a young age – if you are finding it very difficult to clean your cat’s ears do not struggle alone. If you are unable to clean your cat’s ears easily you will not do a very good job, and may in fact damage the ears more. If your cat’s ears are very sore, or if your cat is difficult to handle, your vet may need to sedate or anaesthetise your cat in order to be able to clean its ears effectively.

At tailored hearing solutions, we are trained in the latest technique of microsuction. Micro-suction is a non-invasive, safe, comfortable and effective earwax removal method for people of all ages, including cases where syringing may be unsuitable or ineffective. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic we have had to increase our ear wax removal charges to £50 for one ear or £70 for 2 ears. This is due to now an increased need for extra ppe and longer cleaning processes. This in turn has meant that we have had to increase appointment times to 45 minutes. We have taken these steps in line with government and industry governing bodies guidelines to ensure yours and our safety.

Well, sometimes our ears do produce more wax: hearing aid users and earphone users can experience more earwax build-up because the devices block their ears, which hinders the natural progression of wax some people produce more earwax than average — it can run in your family's genes* if your ears are irritated because you have been inserting things to clean them, they may take a while to re-establish a balanced level of wax production *hanger, 1992.