Ear syringing

Ear wax is essential to keeping the ears clean and healthy, however it can cause problems if there is an excessive build-up and one of the signs that you have a problem is the onset of hearing loss. While the amount of hearing loss will depend on how much excess wax you have, it can be very uncomfortable.

What is earwax and why is it important?

The correct name for earwax is cerumen and it consists of oil and sweat being secreted from the glands in the outer ear canal. Ear wax is both antifungal and antibacterial and it is essential in keeping the ears clean and healthy, however some people feel they should poke out the wax but this can lead to problems and can result in a perforated eardrum should you poke too deep or making the situation worse by pushing the wax further down the ear canal onto the ear drum.

Only occasionally does earwax become a problem and then you should always visit your doctor to have your ears syringed and never try to remove the wax yourself.

What causes a blockage due to wax?

Sometimes we get an excess of wax built up in the ear canal, this usually results in a stuffy feeling in the head and some hearing loss depending on the amount of excess wax you have. The reasons for this can be numerous but some of the most common reasons are outlined below.

• Working in a dusty or dirty environment.
• Wearing earplugs continually in your work.
• Your ear canals could be narrow.
• People who wear a hearing aid can suffer from excessive wax build-up.
• Poking your ears with cotton buds or the finger results in the ear producing more wax.
• Older people can get excessive build up of wax.
• Men tend to suffer from excessive build up more than women.

What ear syringing involves

Most doctors now use a pulsed water jet system although the older metal or chrome syringes can still be used, this works by forcing high pressure water into your ear to dislodge the wax. It only takes a few minutes and although it can be a little uncomfortable it isn’t very painful, there are some things your doctor should know before you have your ears syringed and these are:

• If you have had an infection or injury to your ear.
• If you have had surgery on your ears.
• If you have tinnitus or any form of hearing loss before the problem with excess wax.
• If your eardrum may be perforated.
• If you had problems when you had your ears syringed before.