Did you know, ear wax in the right quantity is actually a good thing. It has anti-bacterial qualities great from keeping microbes out of the ear canal. However, unfortunately too much wax can exacerbate annoying tinnitus, cause a hearing loss, impede hearing aid performance, increase the likelihood of whistling hearing aids and exacerbate some underlying ear-related pathologies like otitis externa. Risk factors for impacted wax include:
- advanced age
- use of hearing aids
- use of cotton buds and hairpins in the ear canal (also a major cause of ear infections and ear drum trauma) – “Don’t put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear!”
- use of ear plugs and earphones
- narrow, curvy and hairy ear canals
- tendency to produce a large amount of ear wax
- dusty environments
- history of previous ear surgeries
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