“Remember to clean your ears!” I can hear my mother telling me this after a lg day of playing outside in the Michigan summers. At that time, I’m not sure I knew what an ear canal cleaning really was, or even how to do it.
Have things changed? Thanks to my advanced training in the ear, hearing, and balance systems, I know significantly more now than I did as a child. Let me share a little with you!
Ear canal cleanings do not involve using Q-tips to try and dig-out earwax, called cerumen. Nor are they ear candling, a fad in recent ears of placing a long, thin, tapered candle into the ear canal and letting the wax melt into the ear canal. This is dangerous and ineffective!
A safe and proper ear canal cleaning is typically one of two things:
- Allowing the stream of water from the shower to flow into your ear and then turning your head to allow the water and any loose wax, dirt, or other debris to come out with it; or
- Seeing a professional to have the wax carefully removed.
A professional trained in the anatomy of the ear and cerumen, including an Audiologist, knows how to safely remove all kinds of earwax – sticky, dry, or stringy – with specific tools and the use of a magnifying headlamp. After a thorough ear canal cleaning, you may hear better, or just feel better knowing you followed your mother’s orders.
Designer Audiology offers ear canal cleanings in the office. Call and ask to schedule a “Cerumen appointment” today!