What is ear wax and why do our ears block?
Ear wax is a natural substance that helps to protect the ear by trapping dirt and dust and moisturising the skin of the ear canal. Trouble starts when there is an excess of ear wax or it becomes compacted. When this happens you may experience reduced hearing, pain, itchiness, dizziness and/or ringing in the ears.
Blocked ears can happen to anyone at any age and some of the most common causes are small ear canals, wearing of ear plugs or head phones and using cotton buds. Hearing aid users often experience blocked ears as the wax can not escape past the hearing aid and so it gets stuck.
Ear wax removal using irrigation (syringing) or microsuction by a trained professional is recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence as a safe and effective method of ear wax removal. We care for patients from 4 years old to 104 and everyone in between.
How to prepare your ears
There are many products on the market for softening ear wax but olive oil is still the best. It is cheap, readily available, very effective and gentle to the delicate skin in the ear canal.
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To get the best results apply for 3 days before syringing as follows:
- Tilt your head to one side and gently pull the outer ear back and upwards.
- Drop two or three drops of olive oil into the ear canal. Do not warm the oil, room temperature is fine.
- Keep your head tilted for a few minutes to allow the oil to soak in. Then straighten up and wipe away any excess oil that comes out of your ear. Do not use cotton wool as this soaks up the olive oil rather than letting it soak into the ear wax.
- Repeat on the other side even if you think only one ear is blocked.
