Products that contain carbamide peroxide like ERO help to dissolve ear wax inside the ear canal, but does using those products increase the risk of ear infection? I know that one of the purposes of wax is to catch bacteria and move them out of the ear, w/o the wax aren’t the bacteria going to have a stronger effect?
Then again it was my understanding that a lot of ear infection was due to the eustachian tubes getting clogged and I don’t know if removing earwax would make a difference in that.
ear wax catches debris and move it out of the ear. the wax shouldn’t build up under normal function. in some people or conditions the wax builds up and can cause hearing problems and maybe injury. then removal with the peroxide/oil is useful.
the eustachian tubes are in the inner ear not in the outer ear with the wax.
Three parts to the ear: inner ear, middle ear, and outer ear. The eardrum forms a seal between the outer ear and the middle ear. If the eardrum is not puctured, there is no passage between the middle ear and the outer ear. Cleaning the earwax would have no effect to the rest of the ear. Just don’t jab anything in your ear to bust the eardrum!
Ear infections are typically in the middle ear. If the eustachian tube becomes blocked, fluid can collect in the middle ear and become a lovely medium for bacteria.
An inner ear infection is typically viral, and will result in a nasty case of vertigo.
~VOW