How to Remove Impacted Ear Wax?

An adequate quantity of ear wax is essential to maintain the normal functions and hygiene of the ear. However, excess ear wax is prone to becoming impacted and causing blockage of the ear.

This blockage can make you feel uncomfortable and reduce your hearing. So, getting impacted ear wax treated at a clinic can be inconvenient and expensive. 

Therefore, do you want to learn “how to remove impacted ear wax” at home? If yes, stay tuned and learn about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of impacted ear wax in this article. 

What is Impacted Ear Wax?

Normally, ear wax, also known as cerumen in scientific terms, is a soft material with variable colors ranging from white to brown. This wax is formed by the release of a sticky substance from glands in the ear and its mixing up with dead skin cells, and impurities from the environment. 

It protects the ear from external damage and infections. While performing its role in the ear, it does not interfere with the normal functioning of the ear. There is an optimal balance between production and excretion of the ear wax. 

On the other hand, the buildup of excessive wax in the ear produces symptoms of ear are defined as impacted ear wax. The symptoms of impacted ear wax include, 

• Ear discomfort
• Irritation and itching in the ear 
• Reduced hearing
• Pain in ear 
• Discharge
• Feeling of heaviness 
• Dizziness or vertigo 
• Tinnitus or ringing sounds

Therefore, your ears have impacted wax if you get any of these symptoms. Also, this wax needs to be removed to prevent worsening of the symptoms.

What Does Impact Ear Wax Look Like?

In general, ear wax is a liquid-like sticky material with a soft texture. The color of the wax can be white, yellow, orange, beige, or brown depending upon the rate of its production and its age. At times, the wax might be dry and appear as soft flakes in the ear. This type of wax is also normal. 

However, you can call ear wax impacted when the texture of the wax changes to firm or hard and its color becomes dark, gray, or black. Also, the color of impacted ear wax can change to green if it gets infected and red if there is an injury in the ears.

What causes impacted ear wax?

Some people are more prone to the production of excess wax and thus its impaction. So, let us see the risk factors and causes of impacted ear wax so that you can prevent it.

Risk Factors of Impacted Ear Wax

Risk factors of hard impacted ear wax include, 

• Aging: The rate of ear wax production increases with age. So, a person aged 50-60 ears is at risk of cerumen impaction.
• Hearing Aids: Ear wax evaporates out of the ears. Wearing hearing aids prevents the evaporation of the wax. As a result, it builds up in the ear canal. 
• Misuse of Foreign Objects in the Ear: Using a cotton bud every time you feel discomfort in the ear pushes the ear wax deep into the ear canal and makes it impacted. 
• Anatomy of Ear Canal: A narrow or malformed ear canal is prone to ear wax impaction. This is also the reason why kids get impacted wax.
• Skin and Hair Conditions: The amount of ear wax is increased in skin conditions such as eczema and with the presence of excess hair in the ears.

Causes of Impacted Ear Wax 

In addition to risk factors, note the causes of impacted ear wax.

• Excessive Production of Ear Wax: The production of ear wax is determined by the genetics and habits of a person. In addition, increased sweating, spending a long time in water, and ear infections can also trigger wax formation. 
• Prevention of its Removal: Using external objects like earphones, earbuds, hearing aids, ear plugs, and Q-tips prevents the normal removal of the ear wax. 
• Improper Ear Cleaning: Over or under-cleaning of the ear wax can also cause wax impaction. Over-cleaning stimulates the ear to produce more wax while under-cleaning increases buildup. 

How to Get Impacted Ear Wax Out at Home

Here are the steps and home remedies to get rid of impacted ear wax at home.

Assessment of the Condition of the Ear and Ear Wax

You can not try any home remedy or insert any object into your ear unless you are sure that your symptoms are caused by Impacted ear wax. Also, you must be aware of the extent of ear wax impaction. 

Therefore, look into your ear with the help of Bebird Note5 Pro Ear Camera Wax Removal Tool. It will provide you with the visual details of your ear canal. Furthermore, its highly precise tweezers also help in the removal of the impacted ear wax safely at home.

Removing Impacted Ear Wax at Home

Once you have self-diagnosed impacted ear wax, it is time to take measures to remove it, right? So, here are some home remedies for impacted ear wax removal. 

• Dissolve Ear Wax: Impacted ear wax is hard and stubborn. You might not be able to remove it directly. So, use some remedies to soften the wax before trying to remove it. Such remedies include using baby oil, mineral oil, ear drops, hydrogen peroxide, and more. Once the wax is soft, a simple rinse of the ear with lukewarm water or shower will remove the wax. 
• Try Syringing: If your earwax is not removed even after softening it, we suggest you irrigate the ear canal with a soft bulb syringe. It creates a pressure behind the ear and removes the wax. 
• Clean the Ear: It is important to keep the external ear clean so that no external impurities add to the wax buildup. You can clean the outer ear with a damp towel. Also, do not forget to keep your ears dry.

How Do Doctors Remove Impacted Ear Wax?

As many people prefer getting their ear wax removed in a clinic, let us understand how doctors remove impacted ear wax.

There  are several methods of in-office ear wax removal and these are given as,

• Using Ear Wax Removal Curetes: Ear curettes are small spoons that are used by doctors to remove ear wax under direction visualization or otoscopy.
• Professional Ear Irrigation: Just like at-home syringing, a specialized irrigation system is used by an audiologist or ENT specialist to remove ear wax. 
•  Ear Vacuum: In an ear vacuum, suction is used to extract the impacted ear wax out of the ear. 
• Removal with Forcep: Small forceps just like Bebird’s ear wax removal tweezers are used to grab and remove the buildup of earwax. 

Conclusion 

The impaction of ear wax can become a source of distress for people of all ages. While it is a small ear canal in the kids or excess production of wax in elders, ear wax tends to build up. 

You can remove this ear wax at home with the DIY home remedies we mentioned in this article. Additionally, you can get it removed by a professional. In both cases, make sure you use Bebird’s ear wax removal camera tool to assess the ear wax before removal.