Ear wax treatment

What is ear wax buildup?

Ear wax is a substance made of dead skin cells, oils produced by the skin, debris, and a substance called cerumen. It’s a substance that we all produce in the outer ear canal, and it’s actually quite useful. It provides lubrication and protects our ears from external threats like bacteria, fungi, and water.

But sometimes you may produce more ear wax than you need, which can cause some irritating symptoms. This overproduction of wax leads to what’s commonly referred to as ear wax buildup.

Who gets ear wax buildup?

Anyone can get ear wax buildup, as we all have it. But some people naturally produce more wax than others or have more narrow ear canals that get impacted more easily. Ear wax buildup is also much more common in children under five and people over fifty.

People who try to clean their ear canal by themselves using foreign bodies are at a much higher risk of becoming impacted as well.^[1] So you might want to avoid using cotton swabs to clean out your ears.

How common is ear wax buildup?

Ear wax build-up is a very common condition. Statistics show that 2.3 million in the UK need treatment for ear wax impaction each year.^[2] This is much more common in older populations, and it’s estimated that around 34% of people over 65 years old suffer from ear wax build-up.^[3]

What causes ear wax buildup?

Some people are simply more prone to ear wax buildup, as they make more than the average person. But there are some other risk factors that can lead to impaction. These include:

• an ear canal that is narrower than it should be, or is shaped differently than the norm. This makes it easier for ear wax to build up over time
• more hair in your ear canal, which can lead to ear wax buildup
• having Down’s syndrome, which usually means having narrower ear canals, which puts you at more risk of impaction

Cleaning the ear with a cotton bud can push the wax back into the canal and cause buildup. As a general rule, to prevent ear wax buildup you should avoid inserting any foreign objects in your ears.

What are the symptoms of ear wax buildup?

When you’re examined by a clinician, they might ask a few questions to check if you have ear wax buildup symptoms, and then they’ll look inside your ears using an otoscope to confirm their diagnosis. But you can also be diagnosed and treated without having your ears examined. The clinician might ask you about some other signs of ear wax buildup, like:

• hearing loss, which is one of the most common symptoms
• earache
• blocked ears
• discomfort
• itchiness around or in the ear canal
• tinnitus, a ringing sound
• vertigo, a type of dizziness

Can ear wax buildup lead to other problems?

The symptoms associated with ear wax buildup can end up affecting your quality of life, and ear wax impaction can increase your chance of infections. Using cotton buds to clean your ears can both cause impaction and lead to infections, so try not to use them.^[1]

If you have any signs of infection, you should see a clinician straight away so they can treat you. Ear wax buildup can make it hard for clinicians to examine your ears, so they might have to rely on your symptoms to confirm an infection.