Ear Wax (Cerumen) Removal

This is not a DYI project!

Never, never, ever try to remove wax from your own ears or anyone else’s ears. We see so much damage done by cotton buds, keys, bobby pins and other objects. And we’ve seen damage done by children copying their parents – cleaning their own ears.

Ears are self-cleaning. That’s why our ears produce wax. It’s a natural product that has both lubricating and anti-bacterial properties. Wax picks up dust and dry skin cells and then makes its way out of our ears and is washed away when we have a shower or wash our hair or can be wiped away with a face cloth.

Now some people have:

• narrow ear canals or they produce dry wax
• or they work in a really dusty place
• or they wear hearing aids all day
• or noise-reduction plugs
• or music or Iphone ear plugs all day.

All of these situations can cause the wax to become sticky or dry and hard in their ears. This can cause:

• Itchiness
• Fullness/ Blocked ears
• Tinnitus
• Hearing Loss
• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Inflammation
• Chronic Cough

Well then – what do you do?

Visit your doctor to have your ears checked.
If there is wax blocking your ear canals you can ask for a referral to an ENT Surgeon to have the wax removed
OR
A referral to Westside Hearing Clinic where there are Audiologists who are trained to remove wax and check your hearing

How do we remove wax?

We can use water which is gently sprayed into your ear
Or
A small instrument that carefully lifts the wax out
Or
If the wax is too hard and dry to remove, the use of an organic oil spray is advised until the wax is slippery enough to be remove

CleanEars Spray

This is the spray we recommend for softening wax. We routinely recommend it for people who have to block their ears most days. So that includes those who wear ear plugs or headphones for long periods as well as for hearing aid wearers.

This spray is a combination of organic oils so it’s gentle on the skin in this sensitive part of our ears.It is suitable for children and adults.

CleanEars Spray is available in the clinic. COST: $12

Ear Candling

Every now and then we are asked about this practice for wax removal.

“EAR CANDLES: A triumph of ignorance over science” is an article written by Prof Edzard Ernst from the University of Exeter in the UK and published in the Journal of Laryngology and Otology in March 2006.

Prof. Ernst describes the practice as a “mode of action that is implausible and demonstrably wrong”. He states that “There is no data to suggest it is effective for any condition. Furthermore, ear candles have been associated with ear injuries. The inescapable conclusion is that ear candles do more harm than good. Their use should be discouraged.”

This is also the opinion of ENT Surgeons and Audiologists. In fact we have never heard of anyone in the profession recommending this dangerous practice.

There have been numerous reports of burns associated with the Ear Candling.
DON’T risk it.

YOUR EARS ARE WAY TOO PRECIOUS