Where does earwax come from and how to deal with earwax?

• Khirnetkina Ayuna Fedorovna

  otorhinolaryngologist, otoneurologist, audiologist

5.00 (Votes: 1)

The formation of earwax is a physiological process of the protective function of the external auditory canal; earwax is necessary for the normal functioning of the human ear. The main component of earwax is a secretion produced by glands that are located in humans in the deep layers of the skin of the external auditory canal, in its cartilaginous section and open into the hair follicles or into the skin. These are special sweat glands. Earwax also consists of the secretion of the sebaceous glands, which also open into hair follicles, desquamated skin particles, fatty acids, fat-like substances (lanosterol, squalene, cholesterol), mineral salts. Earwax is variable: it has a different smell, consistency and density - from soft, waxy to dry, stony, from light yellow-brown to dark brown, almost black. Representatives of the Mongoloid race have dryer earwax than Europeans, while African Americans have softer earwax. The variability of these qualities of earwax is associated with the genetic characteristics of a person.

Why do you need earwax at all?

Earwax is a substance produced by the natural secretion of glands in your ear canal. It kills bacteria, fungus and small insects like midges before they can reach the eardrum and cause an infection. When you chew, speak, or move your jaw, earwax is slowly removed from the ear, preventing wax plugs from forming. Although your body usually gets rid of old earwax on its own, it can still build up in your ear canal.

Reasons for changes in color and consistency

Change in earwax color during illness

Normally, earwax is a brown substance with a viscous consistency. Depending on the state of organs and systems, the color and density of sulfuric matter may change, which serves as the first sign of an incipient disease:

1. The dark color of sulfur is a symptom of a hereditary pathology in which the tissue of blood vessels is damaged. It is called Randu-Osler-Weber syndrome. Another common symptom of this pathology is nosebleeds.
2. Yellowish or green wax indicates a purulent process in one of the ear structures. The following symptoms accompany the pathology: acute pain in the ear, fever, intoxication, lymphadenitis. Before prescribing treatment, the doctor identifies the nature of the pathogenic microflora.
3. Black sulfur (or sulfur that has a red tint) indicates that blood clots are present in the sulfur substance. This may indicate an injury to the eardrum or a tumor process in the auditory canal. This sulfur is a symptom of a fungal infection (otomycosis).
4. Gray color indicates the presence of a large amount of dust in the sulfuric matter.
5. White sulfur is a symptom of hypovitaminosis and a lack of certain microelements. In this case, copper or iron deficiency is most likely.
6. Dry sulfur is a symptom of dermatitis and other skin diseases.
7. Liquid, flowing sulfur appears when the eardrum is perforated or there is an inflammatory process in the ear.

Do you need to clean your ears yourself?

There are a number of studies and sources that advise against using ear cleaning utensils, such as cotton swabs or tweezers. Brushing too vigorously or applying too much pressure can cause severe and permanent hearing loss. There are also non-invasive methods, such as earwax removal kits or special drops, but their effectiveness and safety remain in question.

It is not recommended to clean the ear canal yourself. Your body has a built-in function to remove earwax, so additional intervention is only necessary for earwax impactions. To remove them, you must consult a doctor who will perform the procedure safely, quickly and painlessly.

Preventing the formation of wax plugs

It is important to monitor the health of your ears. A few preventative measures will help preserve it for many years. They are:

Read also: Causes, symptoms and treatment of sinusitis in adults

1. Avoid getting water into your ears.
2. Do not use cotton swabs to remove wax from the inner parts of the ear canal.
3. Promptly carry out prevention and treatment of infectious ENT diseases, protect your ears from colds and inflammations.
4. Monitor your small child so that, while playing, he does not insert a foreign object into the ear canal and damage the skin and fragile eardrum.
5. Use special gauze pads or swabs to clean the outer ear.
6. Visit an otolaryngologist once a year for preventive examinations.

The process of wax formation in the external auditory canal is provided by nature itself to maintain healthy ears and good quality of hearing. This is not dirt, but a protective lubricant designed to clean, disinfect and moisturize external structures that communicate with the external environment. And the formation of traffic jams can be easily avoided if you follow simple recommendations.

Does earwax damage hearing aids?

If you wear hearing aids, you will need to take more care of your ears. Hearing aids can stimulate earwax production while blocking your ears' natural removal of wax. This can lead to a number of problems, including wax build-up and damage to your hearing aids. You will also have to change your earmold more often.

If earwax is not removed naturally or mechanically, it will accumulate in your ear. This can lead to subsequent hearing problems, ear discomfort, and even infections. In order for a hearing aid to do its job one hundred percent, it is necessary that the ear canal is clean and that earwax does not impede the conduction of sound. Otherwise, sound waves will be reflected from the wax plug, which can cause unpleasant feedback.

Ear hygiene prevents hearing aid failure. Wax can get into microphones and vents, preventing your hearing aids from working properly. Earwax chemicals can destroy important components of the hearing aid.

Approximately 60-70% of all damaged hearing aids sent for repair are simply clogged with earwax or organic materials. Because your hearing aids come into constant contact with your skin and ears, it is important to keep these areas clean. Keeping your hearing aids clean will help increase their lifespan.

Symptoms of wax plugs in the ears

In some cases, the appearance of wax in the ear causes pain due to the constant increase in its size and weight. However, most patients do not complain of pain until the ear canal is completely blocked. The pathology manifests itself unexpectedly - water enters the ear, causing a very rapid increase in the volume of the plug.

When the ear canal is blocked, the following symptoms are observed.

• the patient hears ringing in the ears;
• hearing decreases;
• dizziness and headaches appear;
• the patient feels that the ear canal is blocked;
• the patient suffers from localized pain.

A fairly common symptom is that when talking, the patient feels the reflection of his voice in the affected ear. In addition, in some cases the eardrum is under severe pressure, which provokes nausea, cough, and migraine. Prolonged pressure on the membrane can cause myringitis and otitis media.

When the first symptoms of a wax plug in the ear appear, you should immediately contact a qualified specialist who will conduct a comprehensive examination and prescribe appropriate treatment.

When is it necessary to contact a specialist?

It's hard to know when exactly your ears will need cleaning. If you notice a periodic build-up of earwax, try synchronizing your cleansing schedule to resolve the problem. If you suffer from ear pain, whistling when using hearing aids, or excessively dirty hearing aids, contact your doctor or your hearing care professional immediately. Under no circumstances should patients with perforated eardrums or ear infections perform self-cleaning.

Based on materials from signia-hearing.ru

Introduction

The ear is an important organ for cognition of the surrounding world.
But at the same time, it is also a “gateway” for the entry of various infections. To prevent negative influences from the outside, there is a special secret in the ears - earwax . It is a viscous substance, usually dark yellow to brown, produced in the ear canal of all mammals, including humans.

Story

An ear cleaner that cares for a man's ear.
Gouache painting, Delhi, 1825. Treatment of excess earwax was described by Aulus Cornelius Celsus in De Medicina

in the 1st century:[45]

When a person’s hearing becomes dull, which most often occurs after prolonged headaches, the ear itself should be examined first: as a crust will be detected that appears on the surface of the body. ulcerations, or waxy nodules. If the crust is poured with hot oil, either Verdigris mixed with honey or leek juice or a little soda in honey wine. And when the crust is separated from the ulcer, the ear is irrigated with cool water to facilitate the removal of the crusts, which are now separated from the ulcer. ear scoop. If it is wax, and if it is soft, it can be extracted in the same way using an ear spoon; but if it is difficult, vinegar containing a little carbonation[46] is introduced; and when the wax has softened, the ear is washed and cleaned as above. ... Next, you need to syringe castoreum mixed with vinegar and laurel oil and juice of young radish peels, or cucumber juice mixed with crushed rose leaves into the ear. Dripping the juice of unripe grapes mixed with rose oil is also quite effective against deafness.

Uses

• In the Middle Ages, earwax and other substances such as urine were used to prepare pigments used by scribes to illustrate illuminated manuscripts.[47]
• Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History, wrote that earwax - when applied topically - cures the bites of people, scorpions and snakes; It is said to work best when removed from the ears of a wounded person.[48]
• The first lip balm may have been based on earwax.[49] An 1832 edition of the American Thrifty Housewife
  said that "there is nothing better than earwax to prevent the painful effects resulting from a wound with a nail [or] skewer"; and earwax is also recommended as a remedy for cracked lips.[50]
• Before waxed thread became widely available, seamstresses used their earwax to prevent the cut ends of threads from fraying.[51]

Notes

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