What is ear wax?
by Admin
Posted on 12-07-2022 09:43 AM
Risks of ear irrigation
Ear irrigation may be needed if ear drops do not work. The ear canal is washed out with warm water. Irrigating the ear with water will usually clear plugs of earwax. But it is only safe if the plug of earwax has been softened. Irrigation when the wax is hard increases the risks of perforating the ear drum. Therefore, use ear drops (such as olive oil ear drops) to soften wax 2-3 times a day for 3-5 days before you have ear irrigation. Ear irrigation is usually painless. Lukewarm water is squirted into the ear canal. This dislodges the softened plug which then falls out with the water.
Our Ear Wax Removal Service
According to the national institute of health and care excellence (nice), there are four routes to clearing impacted ear wax, otherwise known as ear wax blockage. These are the following:
'watch and wait'
cerumenolytic agents (sodium bicarbonate, olive oil, almond oil, water/saline)
manual removal
often the use of cerumenolytics is combined with either irrigation (ear syringing) or manual removal (microsuction) to soften the wax.
The first two methods are suitable for less severe blockages, whereas irrigation and manual removal are more suitable for severe cases.
Your wax removal appointment will take around 30 mins. While we adjust to new social distancing guidance, it would be really helpful if you could attend your appointment alone. After asking a few questions to get a better understanding of the health of your ears, our clinician will examine your ear canals and ear drums by using an otoscope (magnifier with a light). They will record this information to help keep track of any changes in your ear over time. We’ll then talk you through the procedure and show you the equipment that will be used and explain how it works.
Ear wax removal is carried out as a day case procedure, so there is no need to stay in hospital overnight.
With over 35 years of experience in hearing aid audiology we consistently strive to offer the highest quality in hearing aids & hearing healthcare services. We provide hearing tests, tinnitus management, earwax removal, noise protection and hearing aids in our edinburgh, auchterarder and gullane hearing aid centres.
What is ear wax?
Cerumen, or ear wax, is a naturally occurring substance that is produced at the lateral one-third of the external auditory canal (eac). Anatomically, this region houses a collection of pilosebaceous glands that includes ceruminous glands, hair follicles, and sebaceous glands. The modified sweat produced by the ceruminous glands has bacteriocidal and fungicidal properties, functioning to lubricate and clean the eac. As dead skin cells slough off and move out of the ear canal, they combine with the oily secretions of sebaceous glands as well as the modified sweat of the ceruminous glands. The combination of these substances is what makes up cerumen, consisting primarily of dead keratin cells.