Harmful misconceptions about earwax removal

'Never clean your ears', Professor - Doctor - Physician Pham Kien Huu, Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, affirmed.

Even cotton swabs can damage the skin of the ear canal when you remove earwax /// Shutterstock

Earwax removal is a completely wrong and harmful way of cleaning the ears that most people are unaware of. Professor - Doctor - Doctor Pham Kien Huu, Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, explains and points out the dangers of this habit.

The injustice of earwax

Our outer ear is like a tube and the bottom of the tube is covered by a membrane called the eardrum. The skin of the ear canal is produced by the epidermis of the eardrum growing from the inside out. When it grows outward, this skin pushes the earwax out of the ear. When you feel a little itchy or stuck, you just need to gently use your hand to push the earwax out.

Earwax is actually secreted by the skin glands in the external ear canal. It creates an acidic environment that dries out the ear. This prevents bacteria from growing in the ear.

Removing earwax will damage the skin in the ear canal, and at the same time make the acidic and dry environment in the ear canal less than ideal. This will create conditions for bacteria to grow easily.

Not to mention, the skin in the ear canal is very fragile (only 1/10 as thin as the skin outside) and extremely vulnerable, and it presses against the bone. Therefore, even cotton swabs can damage the skin. When the skin in the ear canal is damaged, the subcutaneous tissue will secrete fluid, which is an ideal environment for bacteria in the ear to grow.

“Removing earwax removes the protective layer, damages the skin and creates an environment for bacteria in the ear to grow. Never remove earwax,” Dr. Huu affirmed.

Deafness and brain infection can be caused by… earwax removal.

Many people often have the habit of cleaning their ears when going to the barber or getting their hair washed, not knowing that this is absolutely not a good thing to do.

Firstly, earwax removal is done by non-professionals. Secondly, the tools are quite sharp and go deep into the ear, so the risk of injury and infection is high; carelessness can puncture the eardrum, allowing bacteria to penetrate deeper into the ear.

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A perforated eardrum will feel painful, and when it hurts, the person will reflexively turn their head to one side. This is extremely dangerous! Because the eardrum is made up of three tiny bones that amplify sound. When we turn our heads, these bones can become dislocated or broken, causing deafness.

Another danger is that scratching the skin of the ear canal will cause an inflammatory reaction, swelling of the skin. That inflammatory reaction causes the ear canal to narrow, causing earwax to accumulate inside and not be able to get out. When more earwax is secreted and has no way out, it will pile up inside and rupture the eardrum.

A perforated eardrum tends to eat inward, allowing bacteria from the outside into the ear, causing very dangerous otitis media.

The ear canal is only 3 mm from the base of the skull (meninges). When an infection occurs in the ear canal, especially in the elderly, immunocompromised, diabetic, etc., the infection can reach the brain, causing death.

“Don’t think ear infections are simple. Sometimes they can be fatal if we are careless,” Dr. Huu emphasized.

Treatment for ear infections

If you accidentally remove earwax and it gets infected, you must go to an ENT doctor for treatment. The most important rule when your ear is infected is not to pick, scratch, or self-treat it by any means.

Only a specialist can treat and care for these cases to prevent serious complications of infections from the skin of the ear canal.

According to TNO