Do you really need your ear wax?

We had a busy month in September! Some of the highlights from the month were moving the Fort Collins location to a new space, being cast as the winner of the Times-Call Best of Longmont award for Best Hearing Center, and moving the Longmont office to a new building as well. By the time you read this, we will be seeing patients in our new Longmont office at 1315 Vivian St. Keep reading to see photos from our new digs!

This month we are covering a topic we answer lots of questions about: Ear Wax.

Ear wax is good, but ..
like many things (chocolate cake comes to mind), too much is not a good thing!

All humans produce ear wax naturally to work like a moisturizer on the inside of our ear canals. Ear wax functions like a filter wall between our fragile ear drums and the outside world. If you don't have enough earwax, it could lead to dry, itchy ears. It also prevents dust, debris and anything else from entering our ears.

However, ear wax is not good if we have too much of it. An ear canal clogged with wax can cause mild deafness, feeling of "full ears," and other issues, such as tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

This month we're talking about ear wax. What is it? Why do we need it? And, what's the best way to manage the buildup?

I hope you learn a lot!

There are many misconceptions about how to take care of our ear health. Actually, the ear has an amazing way of taking care of itself. Just like on the outside of our bodies, skin cells produced in the ear canal are constantly being replaced. The dead skin cells mix with secretions from glands to produce ear wax, or cerumen, (pronounced sur-OOOO-men). As the old skin cells are replaced with new, the ear wax is pushed out to the entrance of the ear canal where it can be cleaned with a damp washcloth.

The substance that is secreted is both waxy and acidic, serving several purposes. Bacteria do not grow well in acidic environments, therefore ear wax promotes a healthy environment by discouraging bacterial infections. The waxy substance captures dirt and debris, preventing it from getting to the eardrum, otherwise known as the tympanic membrane. It also prevents the ear canal from drying out too much but also repels water and discourages accumulation of too much moisture which would promote bacterial growth.

For some of us, however, wax builds up and if it does not come out on it’s own will require medical intervention. Reasons for this can include a very small ear canal or excessively dry skin which often occurs as we get older. Some people simply produce more wax than is needed.

There are home remedies that prevent excessive build up, but if the ear wax gets too impacted it is best to seek the attention of an audiologist. An audiologist can remove wax and provide advice for maintenance of the ear canal so that future impactions are avoided.

The skin in the ear canal is very thin and sensitive, so for some, this method can be uncomfortable. The wax may be so impacted that this method proves unsuccessful in removing it all.

In this case, we’ll use an irrigation method that is designed for ear wax removal only. It is powerful enough to flush the wax out but not too powerful that it risks injury to the eardrum. The irrigation equipment that we use (The Earigator) is very fast and extremely effective and usually does not involve any discomfort.

Otoscopy, or visual inspection of the ear canals, and subsequent cerumen removal when needed is a routine service we provide for our hearing aid patients to help them maintain proper ear health. We also provide cerumen removal for new patients who do not have hearing loss but require removal of problematic wax build up.

Since you can’t look in your own ears, you may have wax build-up and don’t know it! Call us today for a free visual inspection of your ears to see if they need to be cleaned!