{"id":19900,"date":"2022-09-27T08:45:16","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T13:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?p=19900"},"modified":"2023-03-20T12:33:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T17:33:00","slug":"earwax-removal-do-you-need-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Earwax Removal: Do You Need It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earwax: It\u2019s the sticky substance that\u2019s a nuisance to notice but sweet relief to clear out. Think twice before you dig in with a cotton swab or other tool, however. <\/span>Earwax is a normal, healthy substance meant to keep your inner ear healthy. Along with shielding your eardrums from dust and other debris, it can also prevent invaders from heading into your ear canal \u2014 the smell of earwax is a major turnoff to insects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Too much earwax, however, can signal health issues, as well as causing problems like muffled hearing. These necessitate a visit to a medical professional for removal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How much is normal and how much is too much? Keep your hands where you can see them. When it comes to earwax, we break it all down.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

What can cause abnormal amounts of earwax?<\/h3>\n

While earwax itself is normal, it comes in many different textures, says <\/span>Dr. Steven Goudy<\/span><\/a>, a pediatric ear, nose and throat physician at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Depending on your genetics, you may have dry, flaky wax or thicker, mushier wax. It\u2019s normal for earwax to be light brown, yellow or orange \u2014 and if it gets old, it may appear darker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In general, the ear is self-cleaning; hair cells in your ear naturally push small bits of wax out of your inner ear in little bits at a time. If you have an abnormal amount in your passages, experts call that \u201cimpacted wax.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Excess wax can build up in anyone\u2019s ears. Anything you may put in your ear, like hearing aids or AirPods, can push wax further in. Even using Q-tips to clean your ears out can have the opposite of your desired effect.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I look inside, I\u2019ll see the shape of a Q-tip indented in the impacted wax,\u201d says Atlanta-area audiologist <\/span>Dr. Meryl Miller<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes, injuries or medical conditions can trap earwax in the ear. Eczema, lupus and infectious diseases, such as swimmer\u2019s ear (an infection in the outer ear canal), can cause buildup, either by creating more wax or by preventing wax from exiting the ear. Some people are also born with a bone structure that prevents wax from moving out of the ear canal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

What can too much earwax do to your ears?<\/h3>\n

If earwax builds up in your ear, you may not notice any symptoms. For some people, excess wax can create temporary hearing loss. You may feel like you\u2019re underwater, especially if you go swimming or try to use ear drops. \u201cThe liquid can get behind the wax and make your ear feel full,\u201d says Miller.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes, people with impacted earwax can experience pressure, itching, ringing in the ears or general discomfort, especially if the wax makes it down to your eardrum, though Miller says that\u2019s not very common. In rarer cases, people with extra earwax might get dizzy or feel a sensation of vertigo (like the room is spinning).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

When should you consider earwax removal?<\/h3>\n

The temporary discomfort of impacted earwax can be annoying, but Miller says it\u2019s usually not an emergency and probably won\u2019t lead to any serious health problems, including permanent hearing loss. That said, being uncomfortable is a good reason to see a medical expert about earwax removal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More than one type of doctor can remove wax. Audiologists often do it, and Miller says many primary care providers are comfortable with earwax removal. If not, then either of these providers can refer you to an ear, nose and throat doctor, who will definitely be able to help.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Providers can remove wax a few different ways. Before they do so, they often will use an otoscope (a kind of handheld microscope) to see the inside of a patient\u2019s ear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your doctor might use a tool called a curette, which is a long, thin handle with a loop on the end, to grab wax from inside the ear, in tandem with alligator forceps, which open and close inside the ear and make it easier to get wax out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other providers like to use water or suction devices to flush out the ears. While the exact method depends on how much wax you have and your provider\u2019s preference, any of these techniques can be safe and effective. Miller warns against at-home methods like Q-tips and ear candling, which can make the problem worse and even rupture your eardrums.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re worried about earwax or experience any other ear-related symptoms. definitely check in with a licensed medical provider. \u201cUltimately, earwax is normal and nothing to be concerned about,\u201d says Goudy. \u201cBut if it does get impacted, then you need to see an ear specialist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Ready to book an earwax removal appointment? Visit Zocdoc.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dry and flaky or thick and mushy, everyone knows the forbidden pleasures of earwax. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":19901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[227],"tags":[103,199,81,106,83],"class_list":["post-19900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","tag-prep","tag-ear-health","tag-preventive-care","tag-treatment","tag-wellness","reviewer-dr-nassim-assefi"],"yoast_head":"\nEarwax Removal: Do You Need It? - Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dry and flaky or thick and mushy, everyone knows the forbidden pleasures of earwax.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Earwax Removal: Do You Need It? - Guides\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dry and flaky or thick and mushy, everyone knows the forbidden pleasures of earwax.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Paper Gown\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-09-27T13:45:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-20T17:33:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/earwax-removal.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"896\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ashley Abramson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ashleyabrmsn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ashley Abramson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ashley Abramson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a25c642efad8fd930ba3d310498e814b\"},\"headline\":\"Earwax Removal: Do You Need It?\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-09-27T13:45:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-20T17:33:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/\"},\"wordCount\":796,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/earwax-removal.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Appointment Prep\",\"Ear Health\",\"Preventive Care\",\"Treatment\",\"Wellness\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Guides\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/\",\"name\":\"Earwax Removal: Do You Need It? - Guides\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/earwax-removal.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-09-27T13:45:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-20T17:33:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Dry and flaky or thick and mushy, everyone knows the forbidden pleasures of earwax.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/earwax-removal.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/earwax-removal.png\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":896},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/category\/guides\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Earwax Removal: Do You Need It?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"The Paper Gown\",\"description\":\"Stories for and about patients\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Zocdoc\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ZD-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ZD-logo.png\",\"width\":2059,\"height\":1049,\"caption\":\"Zocdoc\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a25c642efad8fd930ba3d310498e814b\",\"name\":\"Ashley Abramson\",\"description\":\"Ashley Abramson is a writer in Minneapolis.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/ashleyabrmsn\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/author\/ashleyabramson\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Earwax Removal: Do You Need It? - Guides","description":"Dry and flaky or thick and mushy, everyone knows the forbidden pleasures of earwax.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Earwax Removal: Do You Need It? - Guides","og_description":"Dry and flaky or thick and mushy, everyone knows the forbidden pleasures of earwax.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/","og_site_name":"The Paper Gown","article_published_time":"2022-09-27T13:45:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-03-20T17:33:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":896,"url":"https:\/\/zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/earwax-removal.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Ashley Abramson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ashleyabrmsn","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ashley Abramson","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/"},"author":{"name":"Ashley Abramson","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a25c642efad8fd930ba3d310498e814b"},"headline":"Earwax Removal: Do You Need It?","datePublished":"2022-09-27T13:45:16+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-20T17:33:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/"},"wordCount":796,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/earwax-removal.png","keywords":["Appointment Prep","Ear Health","Preventive Care","Treatment","Wellness"],"articleSection":["Guides"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/","name":"Earwax Removal: Do You Need It? - Guides","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/earwax-removal.png","datePublished":"2022-09-27T13:45:16+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-20T17:33:00+00:00","description":"Dry and flaky or thick and mushy, everyone knows the forbidden pleasures of earwax.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/earwax-removal.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/earwax-removal.png","width":1920,"height":896},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/earwax-removal-do-you-need-it\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/category\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Earwax Removal: Do You Need It?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/","name":"The Paper Gown","description":"Stories for and about patients","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Zocdoc","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ZD-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thepapergown.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ZD-logo.png","width":2059,"height":1049,"caption":"Zocdoc"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a25c642efad8fd930ba3d310498e814b","name":"Ashley Abramson","description":"Ashley Abramson is a writer in Minneapolis.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/ashleyabrmsn"],"url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/author\/ashleyabramson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}