Earwax is common. Many people try to remove it, but you should never remove your own ear wax. A common earwax removal method is using a cotton swab, but some people also use ear candles or ear vacuums to try to remove hair wax. We strongly recommend you avoid avoiding those extremely dangerous methods.  If you experience earwax buildup, we suggest you visit a doctor who can safely remove your earwax buildup.

The Danger of Putting Objects in Your Ear

While we need earwax, some people produce too much of it, and it can become hard, leading to ear infection, an earache, itchy ears, vertigo, hearing loss, and other issues. If you have a wax buildup, it’s time to look into ear wax removal. Trying to handle that on your own could lead to even more problems. Here are three reasons why you should never remove your own earwax:

Reason #1: You May Damage Your Ear Canal

Inserting a cotton swab or anything else small like that increases the risk of infection or damaging your ear canal.  And a cotton swab, for example, can push the wax even further into your canal and can become stuck in your ear canal.

Reason #2: You May Puncture Your Eardrum

Putting foreign objects into your ear may cause you to perforate or puncture your eardrum, leading to hearing loss. The signs of a punctured eardrum include immediate, intense, or sharp ear pain, vertigo, or dizziness.

Reason #3: We Need Our Earwax

You might not know this, but our ears are self-cleaning and don’t require a lot of maintenance. And earwax is there for many reasons. Earwax protects our ears, and traps and prevents dust, insects, and any other small objects from entering and damaging the ear. It also has antibacterial properties and prevents bacteria, fungi, and other germs from going into the ear canals.  Earwax also acts as a lubricant for the ear canal, and even repels water from entering and irritating the ear canals.

We Can Safely Remove Your Earwax

You may be wondering how to remove earwax or an earwax buildup safely. UrgentMED can help.  Our medical staff will quickly determine if you’re experiencing any hearing loss, suffering from an ear infection, or any other ear-related medical concern.  We have special instruments specifically designed for removing earwax. We provid fast service, and there’s no appointment required. If you think you may have an ear canal blockage from earwax or something else, or if you need other services,  stop by one of our 16 walk-in UrgentMED clinics in Southern California.