{"id":2889,"date":"2022-09-09T17:55:59","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T21:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/?p=2889"},"modified":"2022-09-09T17:56:01","modified_gmt":"2022-09-09T21:56:01","slug":"earwax-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/earwax-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Earwax 101"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/ent\/earwax-removal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Earwax<\/a>, also known as cerumen, is a substance the ears naturally produce. It comprises oils, sweat, dead skin cells and dirt. This combination may sound yucky, but earwax plays a very important role in the ear&#8217;s health. We review everything you need to know about earwax below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What Does Earwax Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ear-exam-hearing-health-1280x853.jpg\" alt=\"Close up of a male  doctor carefully holding the ear of his patient to establish a clearer view of the inside of his ear, to see if he requires hearing aids at a modern clinic\" class=\"wp-image-2891\" width=\"322\" height=\"214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ear-exam-hearing-health-1280x853.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ear-exam-hearing-health-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ear-exam-hearing-health-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ear-exam-hearing-health-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 322px) 100vw, 322px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Earwax has several important jobs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>It is a natural barrier that prevents dirt, bacteria and other debris from entering the middle and inner ear.<\/li><li>It moisturizes and protects the ear canal&#8217;s skin, helping prevent infection and irritation.<\/li><li>It acts as a natural insect repellent; the smell keeps insects away while the stickiness traps any that do enter the ear.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>What Does the Color of My Earwax Mean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The color of your earwax can reveal information about your health:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>White, flaky earwax indicates you may lack a body-odor producing chemical.<\/li><li>Dark, sticky earwax reveals you probably use deodorant.<\/li><li>Yellow, orange or light brown earwax is healthy and normal.<\/li><li>Reddish earwax may indicate there\u2019s an injury to your ear.<\/li><li>Dark brown or black earwax is old earwax that has trapped a lot of debris.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Should I Remove Earwax from My Ears?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In most cases, you do not need to remove the earwax from your ears. In fact, an overly clean ear can be an unhealthy ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you find your earwax to be unsightly, or if it\u2019s collecting in the bowl of your ear, you can clean the outer ear with a damp washcloth or let the shower water irrigate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only time you <em>need<\/em> to remove earwax is if it\u2019s impacted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What if My Earwax Is Impacted?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Symptoms of impacted earwax include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/ent\/earache\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Earache<\/a><\/li><li>Itchy ear<\/li><li>Odor or discharge from the ear<\/li><li>Feeling of fullness in the ear<\/li><li>Tinnitus (ringing in the ear)<\/li><li>Dizziness<\/li><li>Hearing loss<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>According to one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4356173\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a>, earwax \u201cis more likely to accumulate and cause a hearing impairment when normal extrusion is prevented (for example, by hearing aids or by the use of cotton buds to clean the ears).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your earwax is impacted, you can first try over-the-counter eardrops from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medchestrx.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Medicine Chest Pharmacy<\/a> to soften it. If this doesn\u2019t work, you should schedule an appointment with an expert ENT physician to have it removed. <em>Never <\/em>try to remove it yourself with a cotton swab, hair pin, tweezers or candling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information or to schedule an appointment, call <span class=\"company-name \">Ear, Nose &amp; Throat Associates<\/span> today<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/the-impact-of-smoking-on-ent-health-risks-and-recovery\/\" class=\"related-post\">The Impact Of Smoking On ENT Health: Risks and Recovery<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/home-remedies-for-a-sore-throat-and-when-to-see-a-doctor\/\" class=\"related-post\">Home Remedies for a Sore Throat and When to See a Doctor<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/how-to-recognize-and-manage-aphasia\/\" class=\"related-post\">How To Recognize and Manage Aphasia<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Earwax, also known as cerumen, is a substance the ears naturally produce. It comprises oils, sweat, dead skin cells and dirt. This combination may sound yucky, but earwax plays a very important role in the ear&#8217;s health. We review everything you need to know about earwax below. What Does Earwax Do? Earwax has several important&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Earwax, also known as cerumen, is a substance the ears naturally produce.","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2889"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2893,"href":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889\/revisions\/2893"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entfortwayne.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}