Your ear normally gets rid of earwax by itself. But sometimes, earwax builds up in your ear and starts to cause symptoms. This is called ‘impacted earwax’. There are many things that could make this more likely.
- Being under five years of age. Impacted earwax is more common in young children when their ears are still developing.
- Being older than 50. Your earwax becomes drier as you get older, and the hairs in your ear also become rougher. This makes it harder for your ears to get rid of the wax.
- Being male. Men tend to have more hair in their ears, which makes it harder for earwax to clear.
- Having naturally narrow or irregular-shaped ear canals. This can mean earwax gets blocked more easily.
- Having a skin condition, like eczema or psoriasis.
- Using cotton buds in your ears. This can push wax further in.
- Regularly wearing hearing aids or earplugs. This can cause earwax to become impacted.
Often, there’s no particular reason for having a build-up of earwax. Your body may just naturally produce a lot of earwax, or you may be more likely to get impacted earwax.
Signs of earwax buildup include: sudden or partial hearing loss, tinnitus, a feeling of fullness in the ear and possibly earache.
Unremoved earwax buildup can lead to infection. Contact a specialist if you experience the symptoms of infection, such as severe pain in your ear, pain in your ear that doesn’t subside, drainage from your ear, fever, coughing, persistent hearing loss, an odour coming from your ear, or dizziness.
It can lead to a build-up of impacted wax, if you are experiencing this sensation the symptoms will be, ear pain, a full ear, or a cough.
Methods of earwax removal include the following.
- Ear irrigation. This means flushing out the wax with water, using an electronic device.
- Microsuction. This involves using a vacuum device to suck the wax out, under a microscope.
If you have been using an olive oil spray or drops to soften the wax prior to your appointment, the procedure shouldn’t take any longer than 30 minutes.
There is no set time between earwax removal treatments. Some people don’t require treatments as often as others.
If you are concerned about the amount of ear wax you are producing please contact your GP.
Yes, provided you have used the recommended ear drops a min of five days prior to your consultation.