Q: I had a checkup recently and the clinic nurse found that I had a buildup of earwax. She suggested putting vegetable oil in my ears for five days to soften it. I have tried this before and it doesn’t seem to work. I try to clean my ears regularly with Q-Tips. What else can I try? I think it is beginning to affect my hearing.
A: Earwax or cerumen is a natural waxy substance secreted by the cells of the outer ear. It repels water from the surface of your outer ear canal so that excess moisture doesn’t build up in your ear. Damp or constantly wet ears are more prone to infections. It also helps to maintain a certain pH balance in your ear, which also inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi.
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Special action is not required to remove earwax, other than washing your ears with soap and water, unless you are having symptoms. They include a feeling of discomfort, fullness or blockage or a loss of hearing.
Sometimes there is tinnitus or ringing in the ear, which means that the earwax is hard and impacted and is pressing on your eardrum.
Do not poke objects into your ears such as Q-Tips. There is a danger that you could perforate an eardrum or push the existing wax further into the ear canal, making it harder to remove later.
The safest way is to put mineral, baby or olive oil into your ears morning and night for about a week. Use an eyedropper to put a few drops of oil into the ear. Make sure the oil is at room temperature or even slightly warmer or you might feel dizzy and nauseous.
The next step is to use a rubber bulb type of syringe found at the drug store to flush out the softened wax. Fill the syringe with lukewarm body temperature water and gently insert the water into the ear, moving your head to the opposite side so that water drains into the ear canal. Tip the head to the other side over a bowl to drain the water out, and watch for lumps of wax to appear.
A nurse or doctor can also do it for you. Make sure you dry your ears well afterward, because they can be vulnerable to infection until wax is formed.
There are commercial earwax removal products but some contain peroxide and a type of detergent that can cause irritation or allergies in some people.
