Are your ears feeling blocked due to earwax?

Don’t suffer in silence …It could just be wax.

Earwax, medically known as cerumen is a natural substance which forms a protective coating on the skin in the ear canal. It traps dirt, dust and other particles and helps to prevents infections.

The quantity of earwax produced varies greatly from person to person and in some people, the glands produce more wax than the ears can remove naturally. This extra wax may harden in the ear canal and block the ear causing an impaction.

Other factors that can increase the risk of too much earwax include:

• producing naturally hard or dry earwax
• having narrow or hairy ear canals (the tube between the opening of the ear and the eardrum)
• being elderly, as earwax becomes drier with age
• bony growths in the outer part of the ear canal.

If you think you have a build-up of ear wax, do NOT try to clean the ear canal with cotton wool buds, hairpins, paper- clips or other sharp objects as you may instead push wax deeper into the ear and block the ear canal. This can make things worse and it may also cause an infection or trauma. 

If the earwax is causing you a problem, you can try using some olive oil eardrops as these can help soften the earwax so that it falls out naturally.

Using drops may make your hearing or symptoms a little worse at first before getting better.

There are several different types of eardrops you can use, including drops containing sodium bicarbonate, olive oil or almond oil.

However, eardrops aren't suitable for everyone and some can irritate the skin. Importantly, eardrops shouldn't be used if you have a perforated eardrum (a hole in your eardrum).

At Bromley Cross Opticians we offer safe and effective earwax removal via Microsuction and Water Irrigation.