There are many different reasons that people choose to clean their ears. Some do it for comfort while others do it out of a compulsion. All it takes is a finger or some paper towels and people will find a way to begin clearing out ear wax. However, the only safe way to have ear wax removed is by an audiologist or other hearing specialist. This article will take a look at three improper, but common, ways that people clean their ears.
Ear Drops
One of the first ways that people clean their ears when they begin to notice a wax buildup is to use ear drops. These are mildly effective methods of cleaning your ears without having to go to the doctor, but come with complications. For example, once they have been administered and then drained, the person may notice that they could potentially get more wax from their ears. This leads to poking and prodding in areas of the ear that are not meant to be trifled with, causing hearing loss.
Cotton Swabs
Using cotton swabs to clean your ear wax is the most harmful way of cleaning your ear. While it can be successful in removing built-up wax, it comes with the disadvantage of pushing the wax farther into your ear and up against your ear drum. In their haste to clear this wax, many people will harm their ear drum, resulting in long term damage. It is important to never use a cotton swab for ear cleaning purposes.
Ear Candling
This is perhaps the most useless way of cleaning wax out of your ears. This involves using a special candle to melt the wax in your ear and form a plug that can be pulled out, bringing all of the wax along with it. It is exactly as impractical as it sounds, and comes with the added threat of potentially lighting your hair on fire or burning yourself in many cases. Either way, you should avoid these cheap products and see a licensed doctor.
Professional Ear Cleaning
One of the ways that you can go about cleaning your ears of wax is to see a professional audiologist. They will take measurements and scans of your inner ear to see what is causing the problems that you are experiencing. Then they will use their trained hands and special tool to remove all of the ear wax that you need them to take away. They can schedule you for future appointments to check up on the progress and also make sure that you are not experiencing recurrence of the symptoms. Overall, this is the only way that you should go about having your ears cleaned.