Ear Wax Removal

People can be prone to excess earwax production, even though excess wax does not automatically imply blockage. 

The most common causes of earwax blockage is the at home removal. People using cotton buds, bobby pins or other objects in their ear canal to remove wax, but unintentionally push wax deeper creating a blockage. 

Other causes can be: 

• A narrow or damaged ear canal, not allowing an easy migrating of wax out of the canal. 
• A lot of hair (cilia) in the outer ear canal that traps the wax 
• A skin condition that affects your ears 
• Inflammation in your ear canals (swimmers ear) 
• Dry and hard wax (more common with age) which makes it more difficult for it to migrate out. 
• Hearing aids or earphones can be another cause of wax build up, they inadvertently prevent the wax from coming up and exiting the ear canal, causing blockage. 

  You should avoid attempting to remove earwax from in your ear canal. This can cause serious damage and/ or lead to hearing loss or infections. 

If earwax is present in the outer portion of the ear you can gently remove with a tissue or ear bud. 

Earwax naturally moves up and out the ear canal, therefore if you suffer from excess earwax, using an ‘earwax softener’ can help soften the wax and gradually over time allow the wax build up to exit the ear canal. These can be purchased at IRV clinics or over the counter at all pharmacies.