Our bodies make all sorts of substances, and people have different levels of tolerance to them.
What is really annoying is the ear wax. But believe it or not, this ingredient really has a purpose-and you need to be careful when it comes to removing it.
Below, the experts have listed what you need to know about ear wax and ear cleaning.
First of all, you probably don’t need to clean your ears
“Most people don’t have to remove earwax,” Drs. Erich P. Voigt, Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Grossman School of Medicine, New York. “It’s a protective cover for the ear canal. It’s a waterproof agent and has antimicrobial properties. It helps prevent outer ear infections.”
In addition to protecting the ear from water damage and infection, earwax also moisturizes the ears, preventing the area from feeling dry and itchy. And like the rest of the body, the ear is “self-cleaning”, so there is no need to wash the flesh.
“Think in terms of evolution,” Drs. Lawrence R. Lustig, chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. “If Mother Nature created an ear that needed to be cleaned, it was a bad design. We didn’t have an ear cleaner 500,000 years ago.”
He described the system as a “skin conveyor belt”.
“Earwax is a combination of skin and oil,” Lustig says. “The skin moves out of the ear canal and when the dead skin cells migrate they interfere with the sebaceous glands in the ear canal, that’s where you get the earwax.”
Some people have trouble moving, producing too much wax or wax that is not of normal consistency. They may be prone to earwax infections and require medical intervention to remove the earwax, which can interfere with hearing and hearing problems. But for most of us, wax naturally cleanses as we complete our daily lives.
“The body has a system for making wax and expelling it,” Drs. Bradley B. Block, an otolaryngologist, a head and neck surgeon and host of the Doctor’s Guide to Doctrine podcast. “When you chew and speak, the skin of the ear moves and pushes the wax out. Disruption of this system can cause infiltration and formation of ear wax, closure of the ear canal, so cleaning the ears can have a paradoxical effect on the ear canal. “
But if you insist on doing so, don’t use Q tips
When people are asked what Q-tips are for, their answers likely include earwax cleaning. This practice has become commonplace with Kevin James ’character in“ Hitch ”. It has a dance movement that describes cleaning the ears with a Q-drop.
But pop culture fans may remember the brutal “women” scene when Hannah placed the Q tip too deep in her ear and accidentally bled into the ear bar. The packaging of Q-tip products still contains a clear warning: “Do not enter into the ear canal”.
In fact, cotton swabs, like cotton swabs, can scratch the ear canal and cause bleeding or even damage to the eardrum. Bottom line: Cleaning your ears with cotton swabs is not a good idea.
“Think of the diameter of the ear canal and the diameter of the Q tips,” Lustig said. “If you can’t see what you’re doing, you can finish all this wax with Q-tips. It often serves as a piston. When I have someone with an earwax infection, half of it happens because they use Q tips.
In addition to the deeper packaging of the wax and the potential challenge of penetrating the ear, cleaning the ears with a cotton swab can lead to outer ear infections.
“Removing wax from the canal can also leave the skin dry and dry skin can cause irritation,” the blocker adds. This leads to the cycle of using cotton swabs to clean the wax, which causes irritation, then scrubbing the cotton swabs, which causes irritation, and so on.
And the bad news, if you prefer to use earplugs: aside from the fact that this method causes other types of potential damage, it doesn’t seem to work.
“Studies are really done to see how much wax comes out,” Lustig said. “It doesn’t seem to help you and therefore there’s a risk of burning your ear. It’s been in vogue for a while, but I think it’s out of trend, although I’m sure the ear candles will come out of the dead as Lazarus.
A better way of cleaning the ears is simpler
If you still want to clean your ear, just focus on the outer part and on the wax that is coming out.
“My general recommendation to people is to let the body do its job,” Lustig said. “Let this skin move on its own release with wax. Take a wet washer with your finger and clean everything that comes to the entry point.
Both Block and Voigt recommend regular bathing and area cleaning of the hair washing process.
“Just wipe the outside with a soapy finger or a towel,” Block said.
There are also products like Debrox drop that contain urea peroxide (a combination of hydrogen peroxide and urea) that helps break down ear wax.
“I often use it or hydrogen peroxide directly,” Lustig said. “Hydrogen peroxide softens these hard blocks. It’s safe to use if you assume you don’t have a hole in your ear canal, which most don’t. Sometimes the wax is really hard and we can use these mini tweezers called crocodile tweezers to clean it up. “Sometimes it really softens and we run out.”
To clean the ear with a solution like Debrox (or a solution similar to hydrogen peroxide and water, for example), be sure to follow the product instructions. Generally, the process involves lying on your side, placing a few drops, waiting a few minutes, then getting up and cleaning the area. After that, you can usually use lukewarm water to clean your ear while bathing.
However, as mentioned earlier, there is no need to clean the ear wax unless there is a problem – and even then, it is best for a doctor to handle the process professionally.
“The ear canal is sensitive and has a lot of nerve endings,” Lustig said. “A light touch, which may seem clever elsewhere, will really hurt the ear. So I’m not going to do things. When watering the ear, be careful not to puncture the ear canal.” be careful not to hit the liquid cannon in the right place on the back wall. ”
Once you notice a problem, see a doctor
Most likely, you won’t have any problems building up the wax, but if you do, be sure to seek professional help. When your ear canal is blocked, you may feel like you are always wearing headphones, have difficulty hearing or hear your voice echoing when you speak.
Doctors can help clean the wax and check for other problems. Lustig pointed out that what some people suspect is a wax infection could be a bigger problem.
“I have patients who come to me with sudden hearing loss and when I look at the ear, it’s obvious and there’s no problem with the eardrum,” he said. “It was found that the virus entered the inner ear and caused damage to the inner ear.”
If you notice a sudden change in hearing, you should make an appointment with a professional as soon as possible.
“There are some things that can come out of the ear with a hearing change that are annoying or dangerous,” Lustig said. “And there’s a limited window of time for its treatment.” Some other things that can lead to hearing loss are more dangerous. “
Source: Huffpost
I’m Liza Grey, an experienced news writer and author at the Buna Times. I specialize in writing about economic issues, with a focus on uncovering stories that have a positive impact on society. With over seven years of experience in the news industry, I am highly knowledgeable about current events and the ways in which they affect our daily lives.