When cleaning your ears, you may be doing more harm than good. Here are a few tips to prevent harming or damaging the inside of your ears, and especially your hearing.
Ears are self-cleaning. After waking up in the morning, have you noticed a buildup of earwax in and/or around your ears? This is evidence that your ears are self-cleaning entities. When the jaw moves while talking and eating, wax is pushed to the surface and carries along unwanted substances, such as dirt and debris. Typically, most individuals do not need to use cotton swabs to clean their ears.
How should the ears be cleaned? When cleaning your ears by yourself, the process should be very minimal. Use a damp cloth to clean around your ears. Do not insert anything into the ear canals, like cotton swabs. Doing so could damage your ears and lead to hearing complications.
How will the hearing health professional clean my ears? Hearing health professionals generally begin cleaning your ears by using a warm liquid, such as oil or glycerin. When poured inside of your ears, the liquid softens up the built-up wax. Once this is done the wax will drip out of your ears naturally.
If you believe you need an ear cleaning or believe you damaged your hearing while cleaning your ears, visit American Hearing Centers in Lakewood by calling 732-730-7277 and make an appointment with one of our hearing healthcare professionals.
