How to Get Rid of Earwax

Earwax (technically called cerumen) is made by glands in the external ear canal. This wax protects the skin of the ear from water and infection. The amount and consistency of earwax varies.

Most of the time the ear canals are self-cleaning. There is a slow migration of earwax from the eardrum to the ear opening. Old earwax is constantly being transported, assisted by chewing and jaw motion, from the ear canal to the ear opening where it usually dries, flakes, and falls out.

There are two basic types of inherited earwax — wet and dry. Dry wax is common in Asia, while wet wax is common in Western Europe. There's more fat in wet wax.Sometimes, trying to clean them causes more problems than it’s worth,” “Ears are like self-cleaning ovens. When the outer layer of skin in the ear canal sheds, the wax will fall out with it

If you have a small amount of wax, over-the-counter ear cleaners work well. Look for drops that contain hydrogen peroxide or other kinds of peroxide. The peroxide does a good job of breaking up earwax.Ear cleaning drops may not work if you have too much earwax or a condition called impacted cerumen (when there’s a firm wax plug blocking your ear canal).“When it’s a plug, putting peroxide in your ear may make things worse because you’re softening the plug but not dissolving or removing it,” “Then the softened plug becomes like a wall of mud that can plug your ear even more.

If ear cleaning drops don’t work, the ears might need flushing with a bulb syringe, which are available at drug stores or grocery stores. You’ll want to fill the syringe with warm water, place it near your ear opening, and carefully squeeze the bulb. The warm water will flood your ear and break up the wax. Turn your head to the side over a sink or bathtub to let the water (and, ideally, wax) flow out.

Earwax acts as a lubricant for the ear. It is made by the sebaceous glands in the hair follicles in the ear canal. The lubrication properties in earwax help decrease the chances of irritation and infection in your child’s ears. Most of the time, children will complain that they feel like something is in their ears, or a parent can sometimes see the earwax buildup.

Sometimes, earwax becomes impacted, which means it’s completely blocking the ear canal and may be affecting your child’s hearing. This can happen when the body creates too much earwax, or because use of a Q-tip has compressed the earwax inside the ear canal. If earwax is impacted, it may need to be removed by a doctor

Earwax, also known as cerumen, plays an important role in your body. It helps eliminate dirt, debris, hair and dead skin cells from your ear canal. Earwax keeps your ear canal from becoming itchy and uncomfortable and it lowers your risk of infection. It also helps decrease the irritation of water when it gets into your ear canal.

While earwax does serve some useful purposes, having too much of it can result in buildup and ear canal blockage. Your body can overproduce earwax leading to this blockage, but also, you can cause the blockage as well by cleaning your ears out with a cotton swab or other item that pushes the earwax further into your ear canal.

It can be difficult to hear when your ears are blocked, and you might look to ear cleaning as a simple remedy. With mild cases of wax buildup you can take steps to help address the problem at home, but if you clean your ears incorrectly you can cause permanent and irreversible damage. We explain what you should and shouldn't do, debunk some common myths and share the best way to clean your ears at home.