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Here at North London Earwax Clinic, we are passionate about ear health, and it is something that most people overlook - whether that be caring for their own ears, or the ears of their children. In this guide, we cover all of the do’s and don’ts of ear care, including how to safely remove ear wax at home or how professional services can help.
Our ears are responsible for our hearing, as well as our balance. The special organs transform small sound waves into something we can process. Infection, pain, or too much earwax within our ears can cause several issues that can have a negative impact on your everyday life. If you have problems with your ears, you might experience:
Moderate or severe pain
Dizziness
A feeling of pressure or ‘fullness’
Feelings of nausea
Mild or severe hearing loss
Discharge or odour
Itching and irritation
If you’re worried about the health of your ear, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the North London Earwax Clinic team. We are here to offer trustworthy advice and the best course of treatment for you. If you notice discharge or an infection, you should consult your GP immediately for treatment.
Keeping your ears healthy is just as important as any part of your body. Being proactive about keeping them clean and safe helps to prevent possible complications which may include ear infections, tinnitus, and a perforated eardrum, to name a few.
Below, we’ve outlined the do’s and don’ts of caring for your ear, which will assist in keeping infections and damage at bay. If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch with our team, who will be happy to elaborate on the information provided below.
Our ears contain fragile structures which are sensitive and are easily damaged by loud noises. However, with so many noises going on in our everyday life, there are a few simple ways to mitigate the risks of hearing loss from loud noises. You could:
For more information on how loud noises can harm your hearing, please visit the Royal National Institute of the Deaf.
Did you know that anxiety and stress can actually be harmful to your ear? Stress can cause a flare up in infections, ear conditions such as tinnitus, or excess earwax. By minimising stress where possible, you’ll help reduce any uncomfortable sensations within your ear. Not only that, but taking active steps to destress will help you feel better overall!
A damp, warm environment, such as your ear canal, can be the perfect breeding ground for bacteria causing ear infections or conditions like swimmer’s ear. You should be particularly mindful of keeping your ears dry if you regularly partake in water sports such as swimming, surfing, or snorkelling. Keep your ears dry by wearing a swim cap or shower cap. This is particularly important if you have a perforation. You should consider custom made swim plugs in this instance.
To ensure your ears are healthy and stay that way for years to come, it is important to get a routine checkup, even if they are only once every few years particularly over the age of 60 where we start to see age related hearing loss.. Hearing tests will allow you to catch any ear problems early, making them easier to treat or manage (with hearing aids). This is particularly important for children whose speech or language development could be affected by hearing loss.
By practicing good ear hygiene, you’ll help to prevent and minimise the risk of bacterial infections, which could lead to pain or partial hearing loss. We cover the basics of how to clean the outside of your ear with soap and a washcloth below. There is no need to worry about cleaning the inside of your ear, as your body actually does this for you!
Please do not poke anything in your ears as this could damage the delicate lining of your ear canal and eardrum. Cotton buds, although commonly used, are very dangerous to your ear. They can push any wax further down and potentially cause damage to your eardrum and make your ears feel more blocked than they were previously. Cotton buds, however, can be used to clean the outside of your ear.
Trying to remove earwax yourself, particularly if you have no idea what you’re doing and if you don’t have a clear view, could cause you to seriously damage your ears.
Candling is a great example of a popular ear wax removal trend that causes more harm than good. The earwax removal method uses hollow cones that supposedly create a low-level suction, which some think removes earwax. However, there have been reports of punctured eardrums, hearing loss, and further ear wax blockages after attempting this method. We’d suggest seeking professional help for removing earwax over a risky DIY method.
If you’re experiencing pain or discomfort within your ears, you must seek professional help as this could be a sign of infection or damage to your ear. When left untreated, these conditions only get worse which makes them harder to treat, as well as causing your symptoms to worsen. Most conditions are easy enough to treat with a quick visit to your nearest audiologist. At North London Earwax we offer a range of professional, comfortable earwax removal services, to book your micro suction appointment with our team, simply fill in the contact form found on our website.
Ears are self cleaning, however, there are a few things you can do to help your body’s natural processes. For good ear hygiene, clean only the visible parts with a damp cloth. This includes behind your ear and around the opening of your ear. Cleaning can easily be done in the shower or bath, or over a sink. Use an antibacterial soap if you’d like, but water also works well.
Attempting to clean inside your own ear isn’t recommended for several reasons:
Earwax is naturally present in our ears, and usually it isn’t a cause for concern. In fact, earwax helps to prevent trapped dirt, bacteria, and other germs from entering the ear canal and causing damage. The wax also helps to moisturise your ear, keeping them pain-free and healthy. In rare cases, earwax can be produced excessively, which could cause complications.
To remove earwax, never use cotton buds or anything else that goes inside your ear canal. Instead, we’d suggest using olive oil drops once a week. Add one or two drops of oil into one or both ears whilst lying on your side (this helps prevent mess!). The oil is a natural way to soften the wax present in your ears and this may encourage the wax to come out of your ears naturally. If you are still experiencing problems with excessive earwax, refer to our ‘Removing Earwax’ section below.
By using cotton buds, you are likely causing your ear more harm than good. The wide tip of a cotton bud pushes ear wax further down the canal, which promotes blockages and earwax impaction. Although the end of cotton buds are soft, they can actually cause damage to your eardrum and canal, which are incredibly sensitive. Each of these risks can lead to your ear feeling even more full, as well as ear infections and other painful conditions.
If you have tried using olive oil in your ears, with no luck removing excess wax, you might seek professional earwax removal services. However, we’d recommend seeking professional advice from an audiologist, as they’ll be able to advise on the best course of action to take. Below, we’ve outlined a few of the conditions that professional ear cleaning can address.
This technique involves a small tube being carefully inserted into the ear, and a gentle suction is applied to remove the wax. This technique is mostly painless and is the most low-risk way of removing wax. Audiologists will also use a microscope whilst performing microsuction to ensure the tube is targeting the right area, causing minimal irritation to the ear canal. The technique can be performed on people with ruptured eardrums, infections, as well as children as young as six.
Also known as irrigation, syringing is a blind procedure that involves flushing the ear with lukewarm water to remove earwax. Whilst this is effective, there are safer methods of earwax, such as microsuction, available for a similar cost. Syringing should be avoided if you have a perforated eardrum, grommets, or a mastoid cavity. The technique can worsen those conditions and also increase the risk of ear infections.
At North London Earwax Clinic, we use microsuction as our earwax removal method of choice. However, in a small percentage of cases where microsuction alone cannot address the earwax buildup, syringing may be used in order to carry out the cleaning. This technique is particularly helpful in cases where the wax is very runny or buttery in texture.
If you’d like to find out more about microsction and how the earwax removal technique compares to other popular techniques, like syringing, you might enjoy this recent blogpost.
Manual earwax removal is most commonly used alongside other professional techniques, such as microsuction, to help remove deeper and more solid pieces of earwax. The technique uses purpose-designed tools to hook or grab wax and remove it from the ear canal.
Here at North London Earwax Clinic, we are passionate about all things ear health. Our team of professional audiologists can offer tailored advice and treatment for those of you experiencing ear wax build-up or other uncomfortable ear conditions. We offer at-home and in-clinic earwax microsuction for both adults and children alike.
Founded by Paediatric Audiologist Zahrah Jaunmahomed, our clinic aims to provide a safe, comfortable, and accessible ear wax microsuction service to a wide range of patients across North London and surrounding areas. Find out more by asking our team or by exploring our website.
Our team of friendly Audiologists offers both in-clinic and at-home professional ear cleaning services, removing earwax buildup safely and efficiently through microsuction. Contact us today to book an appointment.
