Ear Wax Removal Guide

In most cases earwax will fall out of the ear on it’s own without any need to remove it. If earwax is totally blocking your ear, however, or if you are suffering from any of the following symptoms, it may need to be removed:

• A loss of hearing
• Tinnitus (a ringing or buzzing sound from in your ears)
• Vertigo (the feeling that you are moving while you are still)
• Ear ache
• Coughing

Treatment to remove earwax blockages usually starts with ear drops to soften the wax. If the ear drops fail to work the process called irrigation may be required. Earwax also needs to be removed when it is necessary to make an impression of the ear canal for a hearing aid mould. This is also the case for people who already have a hearing aid fitted – removal is required if the earwax is making the hearing aid to whistle.

Your doctor or an ear specialist may prescribe you ear drops to help to soften your earwax for better removal.

Ear drops (also called eardrops) should only be used when they have reached room temperature. Apply a couple of drops into the problem ear and lie on your side for a couple of minutes with the affected ear facing upwards. This will allow the ear drops to penetrate the wax and soften it, thus breaking it down. By repeating this up to three times a day over three to five days, the plug will eventually soften and should fall out of the ear, stage by stage.

Please Note: the use of Ear drops is not recommended if you have a perforated eardrum.

We would suggest that your first step to treat a build up of earwax is to use ear drops. Ear irrigation is only recommended if the earwax symptoms continue even after using ear drops.

Ear irrigation involves using a flow of water under pressure to dislodge the build up of earwax. A modern electronic ear irrigator is always preferable to using a metal syringe which has a greater chance of damaging the ear. Irrigators use variable pressure which allows syringing to commence at a minimum pressure for safety. With this method a controlled flow of water at body temperature is squirted into your ear to dislodge earwax.

The doctor / specialist treating you may angle your ear at different degrees with the aim to straighten out your ear canal which will ensure that the water reaches all the areas. They may also look inside your ear a number of times using an instrument for examining the inner ear to see whether the wax is loosening. Ear irrigation is painless, however,  you may feel a strange sensation in your ear as water is pumped into your ear canal.

You should always tell your doctor / specialist who is irrigating your ear if you suffer from any of the following symptoms:

• Hearing loss
• Pain in the ear
• Dizziness
• Vertigo (the feeling of moving whilst you are still stationary)
• Ear discharge
• External auditory meatus inflammation (the channel running from the outer ear to the middle ear)

These symptoms could be caused by an infection. If so you will need further examination and potentially a course of antibiotics before the treatment can commence.

If ear drops or irrigation prove to be unsuccessful at aiding the removal of the earwax, your doctor / specialist may recommend one of the following alternatives:

• Being referred to an alternative ear specialist to remove the earwax
• Using the ear drops method again and returning for second irrigation down the line
• Inserting water at body temperature into the ear and then irrigating a second time after 15 minutes

Ear irrigation is not suitable for everyone. Do not use this method of treatment if you have / had:

• Any ear surgery barring cases of extruded grommets within the last 1 and a half years
• A cleft palate (even if it has been operated on)
• A foreign body in your ear
• A severe external ear infection and are suffering from pain in the ear canal or any of the visible parts of your ear
• Problems previously with irrigation
• A perforated eardrum
• A history of perforation of the eardrum in the last year
• A discharge from your ear which could point to an undiagnosed perforation within the last year
• An infection of the middle ear in the previous 1 and a half months
• A grommet in your ear
• A build-up of fluid that causes hearing difficulties

Grommets will always exit the ear naturally. Once it has left the ear the hole created by the grommet will eventually heal itself. If your grommet has come out naturally and you have been officially discharged by your doctor / specialist then this passage will have healed, which means that you can have your ear syringed.

If you are suffering with a build up of earwax in your only ear that you have any hearing from we would recommend that you never attempt ear irrigation as the method does carry a very small risk of deafness, thus leaving you completely deaf.

If your earwax cannot be removed using the methods of ear drops or ear irrigation (or if you are not suitable for these treatments) another more extreme option may be considered called microsuction.

Microsuction is a noisy and possibly uncomfortable technique that uses a gentle level of suction under a microscope. There is no proven evidence to show the effectiveness of this mechanical method of removing earwax. However, a number of specialists regard microsuction as a sound alternative to other treatments.

We would recommend this technique as a final step following the failure of ear drops and ear irrigation.

Ear candling is something that any decent professional will not recommend as a suitable method to remove earwax. Using an ear candle involves burning a hollow candle with one end lodged in the ear canal. This will create a negative pressure which pulls the earwax out of your ear canal.

Professional clinical studies have proved that using ear candles is an ineffective  and dangerous method of removing earwax.