Earwax, also known as cerumen, is a naturally produced substance in the outer ear canal. For the most part, earwax is beneficial and does not need to be removed from the canal. It helps with lubrication of the canal and can protect the ear from infection. In most people, excess wax drains out on it's own to the external ear where it can be removed with a wet washcloth.
When you use cotton swabs (Q-tips) to clean your ear canal, you can not only irritate, scratch and cut the ear canal but you can also push whatever wax has built up even deeper down the ear & create an impaction, which can damage the eardrum!
Earwax can be dry and flaky or can be wet and yellow to dark brown. For many people, earwax does not cause major issues. When cerumen accumulates to the point where it causes symptoms, it is commonly referred to as cerumen impaction.
When cerumen is excessive, it can result in: -hearing loss -ringing in the ears (tinnitus) -itchy ears -blockage of the canal -a feeling of fullness in the ear
There are a variety of reasons as to why this happens. Some people simply produce too much cerumen. Other people may have narrow ear canals. Sometimes cerumen is pushed deeper into the ear canal due to use of Q-tips, hearing aids or in-ear headphones.
If you think you are the only one who needs to have their ears cleaned professionally, think again!
Impacted cerumen affects approximately 1 in 20 adults and 1 in 10 children. Cerumen impaction leads to approximately 8 million visits to their providers each year just in the US.
Make sure you have, at least, an annual assessment of your ears to find out if you need to add professional ear cleaning to your wellness routine.
Visit https://www.eternitywellnesscenter.com/ear-cleaning to BOOK your routine cleaning today.
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