Ear Wax Buildup: What You Should be Aware of

Don’t forget to wash your ears. Whenever you say that, you inescapably use your “parent voice”. Perhaps when you were a child you even remember your parents telling you to do it. That’s the kind of memory that can remind you of simpler times as you wrap yourself in the nostalgia of childhood.

But that advice can be pretty helpful. Your hearing can be substantially impacted by an overabundance of earwax. Even worse, this organic compound can solidify in place making it challenging to clean out. Bottom line, you’ll be best off keeping those ears clear.

Excessive earwax? Eww!

Earwax is, well, kind of gross. And we’re not going to attempt to change your mind about that. But earwax does serve a purpose. Produced by specialized glands in your ear and pushed outwards by your jaw’s chewing motion, earwax can help keep dirt and dust out of your ears.

In other words, the ideal amount of earwax can help keep your ears clean and healthy. However counterintuitive it seems, the truth is that earwax itself isn’t a sign of bad hygiene.

The troubles begin when your ears generate too much earwax. And it can be rather difficult to know if the amount of earwax being created is healthy or too much.

What is the consequence of accumulated earwax?

So, what happens as a consequence of excess earwax? There are numerous issues that could arise as a result of out-of-control earwax or earwax that accumulates over time. Those problems include:

• Tinnitus: Tinnitus is a condition where you hear a phantom buzzing or ringing in your ears. Earwax buildup can cause tinnitus symptoms to worsen or to appear.
• Earache: One of the most common signs of accumulated earwax is an earache. Sometimes, it doesn’t hurt that much, and other times it can really hurt. This usually occurs when earwax is creating pressure in places where it shouldn’t be.
• Dizziness: Your ability to maintain balance depends greatly on your inner ear. You can suffer from episodes of dizziness and balance problems when your inner ear is having trouble.
• Infection: Infections can be the outcome of excessive earwax. If fluid accumulates, it can become trapped behind plugged earwax.

This list is just the beginning. Headaches and pain can happen because of unchecked earwax buildup. Excessive earwax can hinder the functionality of hearing aids. This means that you may think your hearing aids are malfunctioning when the real problem is a little bit too much earwax.

Can earwax impact your hearing?

The short answer is yes. One of the most common issues connected with excess earwax is hearing loss. When earwax builds up in the ear canal it causes a blockage of sound causing a kind of hearing loss called conductive hearing loss. Your hearing will typically go back to normal after the wax is cleared out.

But there can be sustained damage caused by excess earwax, especially if the buildup gets extreme enough. And tinnitus is also normally temporary but when earwax blockage lingers, long-term damage can cause tinnitus to become a lasting condition.

Prevention, treatment, or both?

If you want to safeguard your hearing, then it makes sense to keep an eye on your earwax. It’s improper cleaning, not excess production that leads to buildup in most instances (for instance, blockage is frequently a result of cotton swabs, which tend to push the earwax further in rather than removing it).

Often, the wax has gotten hard, thick, and unmovable without professional treatment. The sooner you receive that help, the sooner you’ll be able to hear again (and the sooner you’ll be capable of cleaning your ears the right way).

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