Ear wax: The Dangers of Digging Your Ears

Impacted wax in ear

One of the most common reasons for patients to see us as an ENT specialist in Singapore is a blocked ear or painful ear due to impacted ear wax. Having wax in our ears is actually quite normal and in most people, the ear is a self-cleaning device so that the wax naturally migrates out of the ear canal. This means that you don’t have to dig your ears to remove ear wax at all! I emphasise that digging your ears is bad for you because many people just don’t realise the potential trouble that digging your ears can lead to. Using cotton buds to try to dig out the ear wax is a terrible idea because this just pushes the wax even deeper into the ear, making it more difficult and painful to remove and leading to a blocked ear. Some patients complain of itchy ears so they cannot resist the urge to dig their ear wax with anything ranging from cotton buds to metal digger tools which unfortunately can be bought quite easily in Singapore.

The belief that you somehow need to dig your ears to remove the ear wax appears to be culturally influenced, as it seems to be much more common in Asian countries. In certain parts of China, ear-digging is a skill where experienced practitioners (not doctors!) clean people’s ears outdoors with fine metal wires which they insert into the ear to carefully whip out the ear wax! Incidentally, barbers also traditionally used to clean their customers’ ears with a hot towel, after the usual haircut and eyebrow trimming. Nowadays, the safest and most effective way to get your ears cleaned is to visit one of the best ENT specialists in Singapore.

So let’s clear up the misconception once and for all that you need to dig your ears: PLEASE DON’T DIG YOUR EARS AT ALL! Throw away all your cotton buds and other miscellaneous ear-digging tools because they are dangerous and may potentially injure the ear canal skin, perforate the eardrum or even dislodge the delicate ear bones which are located behind the eardrum to cause hearing loss.

Despite all the care taken, wax may sometimes still build up inside the ears because the ear canals may be narrow, hairy or tortuous, or the condition of the skin just happens to be rather dry, itchy and flaky, especially if you already suffer from skin problems such as eczema. If you suffer from blocked ear due to impacted ear wax in Singapore, please read more at

https://www.drannabelle.com/ear-hearing-ent-specialist.html#earwax

Dr Annabelle ENT suggests tips on how to keep your ears clean and prevent impacted wax problems in Singapore:

1. Don’t dig your ears at all!
2. Don’t insert your fingers into your ears: Fingers (and fingernails) carry germs on them and may spread infection from one ear to the other!
3. Apply 2-3 drops of clean olive oil into your ears after your shower 2-3 times a week: This moisturises your ear canal skin safely.
4. Avoid getting water inside your ears if you are prone to suffering ear infections. Wear swim plugs in your ears.
5. Avoid getting your ears syringed with water: Instead, have your ears safely suctioned out under direct vision with a microscope with some special fine ear instruments at a top ENT specialist’s clinic in Singapore.

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