You produce earwax incessantly, although you are not even aware of it. However, some find this vital secretion particularly unpleasant. Very often, many therefore resort to drastic means to get rid of the earwax and get rid of it.
Are you aware of how harmful excessive ear hygiene can be for you? It's much better if you know how to clean your ears in a healthy way. That's why we recommend you this guide.
Your earwax
Your earwax is mainly for your protection. In addition, it is actually responsible for the self-cleaning of your ears. Therefore, earwax is a very useful and important body secretion. The consistency of earwax is so sticky because it makes it easier to remove dead hairs and dead skin scales from the ear. The earwax automatically transports the dirt to the outside. In addition, the ear secretion has additional caring properties that you may not even know about. This keeps your ears supple on the inside. This is an important prerequisite for this natural function of cleaning. On the one hand, your earwax thus serves you for cleaning, on the other hand, it protects against fungal infections and has an antibacterial effect.
What you can do against too much earwax
Do you feel that your ears produce too much earwax? Is there a possibility that the natural removal by your earwax has been disturbed by manual manipulation? In this case, it is possible that a plug has formed in your ear canal. It is a natural impulse that you want to remove this plug from your ear. However, you should be very careful. Neither a crochet hook nor a staple is suitable for this purpose. These objects have absolutely no place in the ear canal.
So for the cleaning of your ears such a thing is not suitable at all, otherwise you irritate or injure your drumskin. Your ear canal is a very sensitive structure, so such radical cleaning methods should not be used. Otherwise, you can permanently damage your ears.
Watt swabs and their disadvantages
Have you ever used a cotton swab to clean your ears? Then you probably weren't aware that you can only remove earwax with it to a limited extent. Although cotton swabs are relatively well padded, they should never be inserted directly into the ear canal, because they can also irritate the sensitive skin of your ear canals and possibly push the earwax even deeper into the ear canal. With this approach, you therefore promote the formation of plugs. It can also cause painful ear infections.
Are ear candles recommended for ear cleaning?
Many people consider ear candles a good alternative to such cotton swabs. Ear candles are funnel-shaped, thin and long. They promise to clean the ears well due to the negative pressure created. The goal is supposedly to suck out earwax. This method sounds advantageous and plausible, nevertheless ear candles are only conditionally suitable for the cleaning of your ears. You may get burns on your ears and face. Very often it happens that the hot wax penetrates into the ear canal. There, the drumskin is then immensely damaged. However, you may now be asking yourself how you can actually clean your ears correctly.
Clean only to the ear canal
It is sufficient for the regular cleaning of your ears, if you remove the earwax only at the outer part of the auricle with a damp cloth. For this purpose, lukewarm water and a cotton swab are sufficient. As already mentioned, you should only clean up to the ear canal. With the warm water you soften the secretion.
To make it easier for the earwax to drain and come out of the ear canal, you can also use, for example, almond and olive oil, which you warm carefully. Alternatively, you can buy special ear drops or ear sprays in the pharmacy.
If your ear has already produced an above-average amount of earwax, you should visit the ENT doctor. As soon as your earwax comes into contact with water, it automatically swells. If the plug has already formed, at this moment, at the latest, it really settles in your ear canal. You will notice such plugs when your ears start to itch. You may also feel pain in your ears. Often, such a plug in your ear is also associated with a slight hearing loss.
Your ears will only be cleaned professionally and gently by an ENT doctor. If your ears produce a lot of secretions and you have a lot of earwax, you should see your ENT doctor regularly. Clean your ears not only inside the auricle in the outer area, but also behind the ears. Lukewarm water is sufficient for this purpose. Afterwards you should make sure that you dry everything well. So you risk no ear infection.
So consider your earwax as a useful body secretion. This is essential for keeping your ears healthy and your hygiene. Therefore, take proper care of your ears and do not underestimate the self-cleaning function.
Interesting information about your earwax
Europeans have an increased fat content of 50% in their earwax. The earwax of Europeans is therefore relatively moist. With Asians, the situation looks somewhat different, the fat portion in the earwax is with them namely only 20%. The consistency is therefore rather crumbly.
Do you know why earwax is bitter? Researchers assume that the bitter taste is an additional protection against insects, so that they do not settle in the ear canal.
A child produces significantly more earwax than an adult. This is also softer. In addition, the colors of earwax vary greatly. The colors of the wet form can be yellowish light brown to dark brown, while those of the crumbly form tend to be dusty gray.
On average, older people and especially men produce more earwax. Often this is also the cause of hearing loss, because then the ear canal is clogged. A noticeable improvement offers a professional cleaning at the ENT doctor.