Earwax is made on purpose. In a normal amount it protects the canal. Most people never need to clean inside the ear.
What wax does
The outer ear is the part you see, plus the canal that leads to the eardrum. The canal narrows partway down, a bit like an hourglass. Glands in the outer canal make wax, which traps dust and sand before they reach the drum. Wax also coats the skin and sheds water for a while. Ears with no wax often feel dry and itchy.
Wax is not made next to the eardrum. Canal skin slowly migrates outward, from the drum toward the opening, and carries old wax with it. The wax dries, flakes, and falls out, or it is wiped away at the entrance.
Why cleaning backfires
A plug of wax sitting on the eardrum is often there because something pushed it: a cotton swab, a bobby pin, a twisted corner of a napkin. Those act like a ramrod. The canal skin and the drum are thin and easy to cut.
Leave the canal alone unless hearing is blocked or the ear feels full. If wax has packed the canal shut, we can rinse it, suction it, or lift it out with instruments. A softening drop may be used first.
Drops and a hole in the drum
Drugstore wax softeners work for many people. Use them only if you know the eardrum is intact. Drops, and especially flushing water, through a hole can infect the middle ear. If you are not sure, do not start drops. Come in and we will look.
If the ear still feels blocked after a few days of a softener used as directed, the wax needs to be removed in the office.
Impacted wax is removed as part of our ear, nose, and throat care. If you have been told you have a perforation, read perforated eardrum care before you put anything in the ear.
