Cleaning your earwax ‘could cause serious harm’, doctors say

Many believe that an ear full of wax is an indication of uncleanliness so they make it a habit to occasionally extract it.

Earwax is produced by the body to clean and protect the ears by collecting dirt and dust that find their way into the holes in the ear.

The wax attracts dirt and prevents them from going farther into the ear to cause damage.

An update which was carried out at the American Academy of Otolaryngology revealed that old earwax is pushed to the ear opening by everyday activities like chewing and is replaced with new wax.

The old wax after being pushed to the ear opening is washed off during bathing or come off, HealthDay reports.

The study explained that excessive cleaning of the ear may irritate the ear canal which could cause infection and even increase the chances of wax buildup.

Seth Schwartz, chairman of the guideline update group, said, “Patients often think that they are preventing earwax from building up by cleaning out their ears with cotton swabs, paper clips, ear candles, or any number of unimaginable things that people put in their ears.

“The problem is that this effort to eliminate earwax is only creating further issues because the earwax is just getting pushed down and impacted farther into the ear canal.

“Anything that fits in the ear could cause serious harm to the ear drum and canal with the potential for temporary or even permanent damage,” the doctor warned.

However, if wax continues to build up and doesn’t continue the self-cleaning process, the ear can be subject to partial or full ear carnal blockage.

When this occurs, seek medical attention.