welcome to carnon ear care

Ear wax is a substance produced naturally by a special lining in the ear canal. It acts as a moisturiser, an anti bacterial and prevents infection by trapping micro-organisms, dirt and other irritants. 

Earwax normally falls out on its own. If it does not, it could build up and block your ear. You may start to develop symptoms such as

• Hearing loss
• Itchiness
• Ear ache or feeling that your ears are blocked
• Ringing or buzzing in your ears (tinnitus)
• Vertigo (feeling dizzy or sick).

Wax is removed from the ear canal using a video otoscope (a magnifying ear camera) and small suction device. It is a safe and normally comfortable procedure lasting 15-30 minutes.

As with any invasive procedure, there will be an element of risk. However, having undertaken training and been certified as a competent ear care practitioner, best-practice is used to minimise these risks.

Risks Include:

UNCOMMON

• Discomfort.
• Damage to the ear canal.
• Bleeding from the ear canal.
• Ear Infection.
• Temporary reduction in hearing.
• Temporary aggravation of existing tinnitus.

RARE

• Feeling sick or light-headed.
• Temporary dizziness.

EXTREMELY RARE

• Permanent hearing loss (minimised by limiting the exposure of the suction machine noise).
• Triggering of new tinnitus.
• Damage to the eardrum.

Using medical grade olive oil drops twice a day for three days before the procedure can help to soften the wax but microsuction is often successful without. 

If you have had an eardrum perforation in the past please do not use drops unless you have been advised to do so.

The only safe and recommended way of trying to remove a wax build up yourself is using olive oil drops daily 3-4 times a day for 3-5 days. 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/earwax-build-up/

Remedies to AVOID and why.

Cotton Buds- 

Using these can push wax closer to the eardrum making it harder to remove. Cotton fibres can also drop off into the ear canal and cause more of a blockage.  The worse case scenario is that you can scratch the lining of your ear canal or cause a hole in your eardrum.

Ear Candles-

There is no scientific evidence to support the use of ear candles and risks include burns to the face, candle wax blocking the ear canal and hot wax causing permanent damage to the eardrum. 

Ear Candling. Should GP's recommend it? J.Rafferty et al https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2231549/

Online home earwax removal kits-

It would be advisable not to use online ear removal kits unless advised by a doctor, nurse or audiologist.  You could have underlying ear problems which may be made worse using equipment you are not familiar with.