Saying some people Tinnitus got worse or louder if you not careful at removing earwax?
Has it happen to anyone here?
Nope, not at all. That’s why the tip of a Q-Tip is soft and cottony; so you can jam it into your ear canal with impunity.
Moderator Note
Please don’t post joke answers in GQ as the first response. It’s also bad form to post deliberately wrong advice, no matter how stupid you think the question is. No warning issued, but don’t do this again.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Medical professionals would rather you not stick anything into the ear canal. The old humorous expression was “nothing smaller than your elbow”.
Even Q-tips can be a problem, and even though they are unlikely to injure, they can cause problems. For example, they can push the wax into a pile closer to the eardrum.
Ear drops and irrigation can be used.
Here is a link to the American Academy of Otolaryngology, America’s ear doctors.
I’m sorry. That was a mistake on my part.
Apology noted.
Just take steamy showers and after you are done, swab the outer area (ONLY) without entering the ear canal. IME, it allows built up wax to slowly come out. No risk of jamming more in or getting an infection if you do not enter the ear canal. As for tinnitus, that’s usually an underlying condition, if anything the wax blocks sound resonance in the ear.
Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing sounds when there is no actual external noise.
So as there is no external noise travelling through the ear canal to the eardrum, it would seem that the presence or absence of a buildup of earwax along the way would have no effect.
I suppose you could somehow damage your ear by improperly removing earwax, but that isn’t a common cause of tinnitus – it’s usually damage caused by exposure to excessive loud noise.
I should’ve worded my response better. I meant “wax blocks sounds coming into the ear, tinnitus is underlying”
Yes, you need to be careful trying to remove earwax at home. It’s easy to compact the wax and then you’re worse off then before.
I had some problematic earwax removed at my doctor’s office yesterday. (A week of using *Debrox *and a bulb syringe at home didn’t work). She gave me the option of a referral to an ENT specialist or using a water pik-like device in her office. I chose the water pik thingy, but the doctor warned me there was a small chance of the pressurized water could damage my eardrum. I took the risk–it was a tiny bit painful but it got all the wax out. I can hear again, hurrah!
AIUI, by quieting external sounds, too much wax may make tinnitus more apparent and annoying to the tinnitus sufferer.
Couple years ago, my doc remarked that one of my ears was jammed with wax, presumably dulling my hearing in that ear. I wasn’t particularly aware of and hearing deficiency. Anyway, he had his assistant clear it out on the spot. Involved flushing warm water (with maybe some kind of wax dissolver?) into the ear, repeatedly, until big hunks of wax came floating out. They warned me that it would be uncomfortably hot, but it wasn’t at all. Just lukewarm, I thought.
I didn’t notice any difference in my hearing afterward.
ETA: And yes, Ambivalid and Colibri, I’ve always jammed Q-Tips all the way into my ears, with apparent impunity. It seems a crap-shoot whether this sometimes removes wax vs. sometimes just packs it in, but I’m not aware of ever having had a problem with it. Don’t tell my doctor, though. :eek:
There is more than one type of tinnitus, but I don’t believe it has much to do with earwax, although with some types of tinnitus earwax can be a symptom of the thing that is causing particular types of tinnitus. For instance I have suffered pulsatile tinnitus in one ear and also I was getting a lot of earwax in that ear. All caused by a tiny bit of an in ear monitor (basically an earphone that goes into your ear canal) that had broken off and become stuck near my ear drum. I had it removed at an ear clinic. They used suction to remove the wax which, and I am not a doctor so I am only passing on what’s I have been told, is safer than pressurised water via a syringe. Anyway, we discovered the price of silicon earphone amongst the wax.
But be careful about removing earwax yourself. It would all too easy to perforate your eardrum, push the earwax deeper into your ear, or scratch the skin. It is almost certainly advisable to use a professional to do it. The other alternative, that many doctors would advise you to try first, would be to apply one or two drops of olive oil into your ear a couple of times every day. After several days or so, you’ll find the loosened wax will fall out very easily. Most chemists will sell clean olive oil in a suitable ear dropper that you can use safely. If I had lots of ear wax this would be the first thing I would do.
It’s said that Q-tips are the consumer product that is most often used contrary to the instructions.
I used to just insert them to remove earwax, but as I’ve aged my earwax has become stickier and thicker. Recently I had a couple of instances in which the wax got packed in instead of being removed and caused dulled hearing for several days until I was able to dissolve it with liquids. I don’t do it that way any more.
Thirteen answer posts and no one has linked to the statement of the Perfect Master???
Why do we have wax in our ears? Do roaches ever crawl in there?
Uncle Cece also suggests that the use of a Q-tip is not advised.
I also find Debrox to be useless, and it seems that a few years ago they removed large bulb syringes from the market–the small ones are useless, too. So I use an actual Waterpik. Some say it’s dangerous to use one, but what I do is never point it directly at the eardrum, but rather at the side of the canal, always on the low setting. If you use it on the low setting, I don’t think it’s any more forceful than the professional syringes that doctors use. Anyway, if you do this, you do so at your own risk.
So yes, you always should be careful, no matter how you do it.
Google shows that bulb syringes can be purchased at Walgreens, Walmart, Amazon, etc., at least in the U.S.
Maybe it depends on the country.
So no one here who has Tinnitus their Tinnitus got worse or louder after removing the earwax?
i actually concur with colibri with regard to wax becoming stickier 'n thicker as we age … experience seems the best teacher.
wish to point out one thing … the warnings for the irrigation products needs to be followed implicitly … only use the liquid for the amount of time specified on the directions. if it states use only for one week … do not use it for two weeks. reason may not be immediately apparent … but too much liquid (debrox, etc.) can actually dry out the ear-drum surface … causing microficial ruptures or ‘holes’ to appear … and these can never be healed.
personally, i’ve considered using water-piks also … but seems a more suitable alternative would be to purchase a spray-bottle … those intended to “mist” potted plants. these are often used for dispensing cleaning-liquids and killing insects … tips of the nozzle actually can be adjusted from sharp stream to mist. these bottles, at time of purchase, are empty of course … therefore one cannot contaminate their body with poisoned contents or anything.
at any rate … i never did follow up on this idea … the idea of pummeling my ear doesn’t sit well with me. possible the liquid might not drain out … if ear is badly infected, any sensation may become agonizing … and, as mentioned above, possible for the ear-drum to dry out.
as to why the idea of spray-bottles became set in mind … simple enough reason. the bulb-syringe contains only so much liquid … by the time you start squeezing the liquid stream into the ear canal … can never quite reach the intended target. and, be careful using these syringes … never allow the tip into the ear canal. the water should be distilled or boiled … since tiny organisms within the water could actually infect the area.
that’s all i got.
ref:
i5.walmartimages.com
I floss. It’s momentarily painful threading the floss through to the other ear the first time, but after that it’s easy.