The ears play a vital role in human communication. People learn and acquire new skills and information through listening.
There’s a common notion that the ears need to be cleaned regularly. Cotton buds or Q-tips are the most popular ear-cleaning products on the market. This leads us to the question: Is it good (or even necessary) to get your ear professionally cleaned?
From an audiologist’s point of view, yes.
You risk doing more harm than good if you attempt to remove a wax clog in the canal on your own. Because the skin in the ear canal is so thin, it is easy to give yourself a blood blister.
It’s best to let a professional clean your ears with the right equipment. Audiologists can easily look in the ear canal, figure out what’s wrong, and figure out how to get rid of it in a safe and effective way.
Why is it necessary to get rid of earwax?
Earwax varies for each individual. Some people produce earwax in moderate amounts, while others produce excessive earwax that could lead to impaction if not gotten rid of by a professional.
If you are one of the latter, you will definitely benefit from professional ear cleaning. When the ears produce too much wax that’s soft and waxy, it is easier to inadvertently push the wax deeper inside the canal. This could lead to impaction and other hearing problems.
Why you should avoid removing earwax on your own
There are numerous DIY earwax removal kits and tools available on the market. These products claim to soften or dissolve earwax.
Even though we don’t doubt that these products work, we still tell our patients to talk to an audiologist first to make sure they are safe.
If you don’t have any medical conditions that may make you more susceptible to infection or bleeding, we may occasionally create treatment programs for wax removal that you can follow at home.
We would need to know right away if there were any changes to your health or medications, so that we could make sure that your current treatment plan wouldn’t affect your medications.
Don’t use ear candles.
Ear candles are a popular ear-cleaning “home remedy.” We discourage using ear candles because they are an extremely risky procedure. The “excretions” shown in those ear-candling marketing videos are highly doubtful. Some believe that those are debris and dirt sucked out of the ear canal by the ear candle, but it’s highly improbable. Currently, there are no studies to prove the efficiency of ear candles. Even the FDA has not given ear candles any hint of approval. In short, use ear candles to clean your ears at your own risk.
If you want to ensure the safety of your ears, skip the DIY and “trending” ear-cleaning techniques. Schedule a professional ear cleaning with your local audiologist.
How do you know if you have ear wax build-up?
It’s quite easy to know if there is something wrong with your ears. You may feel the following symptoms:
- Itchy ears
- Feeling of fullness
- Tinnitus
- Dizziness
- Hearing loss or muffled hearing.
The thing is, most of these symptoms may also be symptoms of some other hearing problem aside from an earwax buildup. Have a Doctor of Audiology check your ears to see if there is an earwax obstruction or some other auditory issue.
Professional Ear Cleaning in Tucson, AZ
Oro Valley Audiology provides professional ear cleaning and earwax removal services in Tucson, AZ. Our audiologists are trained and certified to perform hearing healthcare procedures, from the basic and routine to the most intricate.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment!
