Ear Wax Accumulation: What You Should be Aware of

Don’t neglect cleaning your ears. Whenever you say that, you unavoidably use your “parent voice”. Maybe when you were a child you even recall your parents telling you to do it. That’s the kind of memory that can take you back to simpler times as you wrap yourself in the nostalgia of youth.

But that advice can be rather helpful. Uncontrolled earwax accumulation can cause a substantial number of issues, particularly for your hearing. And on top of that, earwax can harden up inside your ear and become really difficult to clean. In a nutshell, the clearer you keep your ears, the better off you’ll be.

Excessive earwax? Eww!

Okay, earwax is not the most appealing of substances. And we’re not going to attempt to change your mind about that. But it’s actually important for your ear’s health. Created by specialized glands in your ear and pushed outwards by your jaw’s chewing motion, earwax can help keep dirt and dust out of your ears.

So your ears will stay clean and healthy when they generate the right amount of earwax. It might seem peculiar, but earwax doesn’t indicate poor hygiene.

An excessive amount of earwax is where the trouble begins. And it can be fairly challenging to know if the amount of earwax being created is healthy or too much.

What is the consequence of accumulated earwax?

So, what type of impact does excess earwax present? There are numerous problems that may arise due to out-of-control earwax or earwax that accumulates over time. Those issues include:

• Earache: An earache is one of the most common signs of excess earwax. Sometimes, it doesn’t hurt that bad, and other times it can really hurt. This is typically a result of the earwax creating pressure somewhere it shouldn’t.
• Tinnitus: Tinnitus is an affliction where you hear a phantom ringing or buzzing in your ears. Earwax accumulation can cause tinnitus symptoms to worsen or to appear.
• Infection: Infections can be the consequence of excessive earwax. If fluid builds up, it can become trapped behind plugged earwax.
• Dizziness: Your ability to maintain balance depends heavily on your inner ear. You can suffer from bouts of dizziness and balance problems when your inner ear is having problems.

This list is only the beginning. Headaches and pain can occur because of uncontrolled earwax buildup. If you wear hearing aids, excess earwax can impede them. So too much earwax may make you think your hearing aids are having problems.

Can your hearing be impacted by earwax?

The quick answer is yes. One of the most typical problems associated with excess earwax is hearing loss. When earwax builds up in the ear canal it causes a blockage of sound causing a form of hearing loss called conductive hearing loss. Your hearing will usually go back to normal after the wax is cleaned out.

But there can be sustained damage caused by excess earwax, especially if the buildup gets severe enough. The same goes for earwax-caused tinnitus. It’s usually not permanent. But the longer the extra earwax hangs around (that is, the longer you disregard the symptoms), the greater the risk of long-term damage.

Prevention, treatment, or both?

It’s a good plan to keep an eye on your earwax if you want to protect your hearing. It’s improper cleaning, not excess production that leads to buildup in most cases (a cotton swab, for example, will frequently compress the earwax in your ear instead of getting rid of it, eventually causing a blockage).

It will usually require professional eradication of the wax that has become hardened to the point that you can’t get rid of it. The sooner you get that help, the sooner you’ll be capable of hearing again (and the sooner you’ll be able to start cleaning your ears the correct way).