Ear Suction — Why Would Anyone Go for It? Just Use a Q-Tip Instead?

[Tom Cnyc]

Why on earth does anybody go for ear suctioning? just use a q-tip?

 

[Markku]

Why on earth does anybody go for ear suctioning? just use a q-tip?

The use of cotton swabs in the ear canal is associated with no medical benefits and poses definite medical risks. Cerumen (ear wax) is a naturally occurring, normally extruded product of the external auditory canal that protects the skin inside the ear, serves beneficial lubrication and cleaning functions, and provides some protection from bacteria, fungi, insects, and water. A 2004 study found that the "se of a cotton-tip applicator to clean the ear seems to be the leading cause of otitis externa in children and should be avoided." Attempts to remove cerumen with cotton swabs may result in cerumen impaction, a buildup or blockage of cerumen in the ear canal, which can cause pain, hearing problems, ringing in the ear, or dizziness, and may require medical treatment to resolve. The use of cotton swabs in the ear canal is one of the most common causes of perforated eardrum, a condition which sometimes requires surgery to correct. For these reasons, the American Academy of Family Physicians, among many other professional medical associations, recommends never placing cotton swabs in the ear canal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_swab#Medical_risks​

I would venture to guess that people may often have used q-tips before finding out they have done the opposite they imagined: wax getting stuck further in the ear canal, impossible being removed with a q-tip.

Instead of using q-tips, I use olive oil preparation these days, twice a week, and never have had problems with excess wax anymore.

Incidentally, I did get my tinnitus from ear syringing back in 2010. This was a procedure of water being pushed into my ear canals in order to remove wax blockage.

Chronic tinnitus can sometimes result from cerumen removal procedures.

Personally, if I were to experience excess wax causing blockage in hearing again, I would probably opt for an experienced clinician using a curette to try and remove the blockage. Hopefully with the regular use of olive oil I will avoid that fate - so it looks for now.

 

[Tom Cnyc]

That's kind of my point - @Markku. Seems the removal process causes more problems than it solves.

 

[Bobby B]

What I do is to rinse my ear canal with soft, warm water everyday

This must be working because my ear plugs are always super clean - no trace of wax

This is especially important if you wear plugs a lot as they tend to push wax deeper

Ear wax is water soluble

 

[Ed209]

What I do is to rinse my ear canal with soft, warm water everyday

This must be working because my ear plugs are always super clean - no trace of wax

This is especially important if you wear plugs a lot as they tend to push wax deeper

Ear wax is water soluble

This sounds like a recipe for an ear infection. Wax is not a bad thing, we all need it to remove dirt and dust from our ears, along with any germs and bacteria. Washing with warm water daily, unless sterilised, can introduce a lot of bacteria into your ear. If your ear has any nicks or cuts it can get in and give you an infection; even without cuts the water itself can create a moist environment in your ear perfect for breeding an ear infection. Some are more prone than others, but the olive oil suggestion is the better way to go. It will just soften the wax making it easier to work it's way out, bringing all the other crap out with it.

 

[Bobby B]

@Sam Bridge
Unless you have a perforated ear drum water does not bring bacteria "into the ear". I'm not swimming in some dirty lake, this is the same water that is clean enough to drink.

I don't see how you can get cuts inside the ear canal.

I make sure to shake my head and get all the water out - along with whatever dust there may be and any small left over of water will evaporate in minutes so it does not get moist at all.

I would be a lot more worried about ear infections by wearing earplugs for extended times, those certainly make it a lot more moist but again a lot of people wear plugs for hours in their work or sleep and we don't see major infection increases...at least on these boards

 

[Sam Bridge]

Think you tagged the wrong person @Bobby B lol

 

[Ed209]

I love how I dodged a bullet there @Sam Bridge . Cheers Pal

 

[Ed209]

@Bobby B

I'm just repeating the advice of my Drs when I used to get ear infections. It was due to me getting water in my ears. It can get trapped behind the wax leaving ideal conditions for bacteria to grow and cause an infection in the ear canal (Otitus Externa).

The ear canal has extremely thin skin. Many people poke their pinky and stuff around there which can cause a nick without you realising. If unclean water gets into it it's another easy way of getting an infection.

The best advice is to use olive oil to loosen the wax. It's really all you need as the ear is a self cleaning organism.

 

[Bobby B]

yes but anyone taking a shower is bound to have some water getting into the ear canal - but we don't see an epidemic of ear infection s in people taking showers, at least in developed countries.

Yes the ear is self cleaning but in his thread people are having issues with wax build up, so this shows that the self cleaning mechanism isn't working for everyone hence the regular cleaning required.

If you worry so much about the bacteria in filtered tap water then using bottles of distilled water will be fine , or boiling water before etc.

In any cases , wearing plugs all day is more likely to cause issues than getting a bit of tap water for a few minutes in an open ear canal

The water does not get "trapped" , it evaporates due to the heat of the body unless you plug your ear

 

[LadyDi]

There are some people, including myself, who chronically build wax too deep in the ear to clean it out on your own. Also, you can do some damage syringing your own ears, as @Markku points out. And Q-Tips never are a good idea. They just impact the wax.

Will say, though, that more ENTs are reluctant to use the little vacuum tube that was common before. Apparently the noise and pressure the tube creates can cause damage if not used carefully. My doc now usually removes it by hand unless its become too impacted to budge otherwise. Which is why I have regular cleanings, before it gets too bad.

 

[Markku]

Also, you can do some damage syringing your own ears, as @Markku points out.

I had mine syringed at the doctor's office so it wasn't self-inflicted.

 

[Ed209]

Water from a shower is merely a splash though. I'm referring to allowing water to fill your ear such as in the bath etc. It's a common problem and is often referred to as swimmers ear.

That's exactly why olive oil is recommended; to soften the wax so it can naturally migrate out of the ear.

But it's a free world, if water works for you then there's no problem. I just wouldn't personally recommend it.

 

[LadyDi]

Thanks for clarifying, @Markku. I don't think docs do much syringing any more, at least not here in the States.

 

[Tinniger]

I recommend Baby q-Tips, which cannot penetrate deep into the ear canal due to their shape.

 

[Mellow7]

Instead of using q-tips, I use olive oil preparation these days, twice a week, and never have had problems with excess wax anymore.

Incidentally, I did get my tinnitus from ear syringing back in 2010. This was a procedure of water being pushed into my ear canals in order to remove wax blockage.

Chronic tinnitus can sometimes result from cerumen removal procedures.

Personally, if I were to experience excess wax causing blockage in hearing again, I would probably opt for an experienced clinician using a curette to try and remove the blockage. Hopefully with the regular use of olive oil I will avoid that fate - so it looks for now.

I also have a tendancy to produce ear wax in my left ear somehow. I've had to have ear syringing done at least twice a year for the last 4 years... Before I got T, I never realized the danger of this procedure, but now I know better. I'm not about to let that happen to me anymore, so I'm looking for preventive measures. That's why I want to ask you about putting ear drops in. Is this absolutely safe? And what type of ear drops do you use? I'm just kind of wary of putting any sort of liquid in my ears nowadays. Isn't it also kind of risky, because the drops can swell the wax that is already in there and actually create a plug?