• FinishingDutch@lemmy.world
    184·
    4 days ago

    DO NOT stick anything in your ears. Absolutely not.

    Your ears are self cleaning. Earwax is a cleaning mechanism, that’s designed to trap dirt and things and remove them from your ear. It works with your jaw movement, which slowly moves the wax to the outermost part of the ear.

    If you use Q-tips, your ears produces more wax because it thinks there’s something that needs cleaning. Basically, you’re making things worse by doing that.

    If you’ve got a clogged ear: first try a few drops of olive oil and let it sit for a minute or two. That’ll soften the wax and make it easier to get out. Usually you’ll need to do it a day or two.

    If your ear remains clogged, get it irrigated at your doctor’s office. They squirt lukewarm water in it to flush out your ear canal. You’ll have awesome superhero hearing for a day or so afterwards. It’s quick and painless if done properly.

    Do not fuck with your ears yourself. It’s not worth it.

    • Katana314@lemmy.worldEnglish
      9·
      3 days ago

      My ears do not self clean. You’re right about the oiling, in fact there’s a pharmaceutical product that does the same loosening. But, once that’s done, water irrigation generally does almost nothing, and most people don’t have a spare $8 trillion to keep visiting their clinic for those procedures.

      Instead, there are specialized ear cleaning tools (definitely not Q-tips) designed to scoop wax rather than push it in; keep to up/down/side motions rather than inward and you can collect a fair chunk of it out. It has done far more for me than simply squirting water.

      PS: Even squirting water is not uniformly safe. I have gotten an infection before by trying to use too much pressure with the hand bulbs.

      • FinishingDutch@lemmy.world
        3·
        3 days ago

        Basically, every method has its pros and cons. For me, a few drops of oil and irrigation work fine. But I also know some people require manual curette and suction to get it cleaned.

        And yes, the ear bulb has its own cons. For example, you shouldn’t do it if you’ve ever had ear related trauma like a blown eardrum or ear tubes. And it should always be done with lukewarm water, as cold water can lead to dizziness.

        For me, here in the Netherlands, it’s a free doctor’s visit to get it done. Only costs me the ten minute wait in the waiting room.

    • Resonosity@lemmy.world
      2·
      3 days ago

      I have my own irrigation bulb and had to do this the other week when my earwax was basically blocking my ability to hear at all. Think I got soap or water in my eyes before that to cause the issue.

      I loved the superhuman hearing afterwards though, god haha

      • FinishingDutch@lemmy.world
        41·
        3 days ago

        Honestly though… irrigation to me is just as enjoyable :D

        It’s like scratching an itch in a spot you didn’t even know was itching. And you’re going to love how clean it feels. Definitely get it done at least once if you’ve never experienced it.

          • FinishingDutch@lemmy.world
            1·
            3 days ago

            I’m always amazed how much comes out. I always like to take a look after they flush it.

            Last time, my left ear - the one that didn’t even feel clogged - had a plug in it about the size of your pinky distal phalange (the last section of your pinky).

            I didn’t even feel it when it was in there. But I sure as shit felt when it wasn’t! Everything sounded so loud for a day or two afterwards.

            • prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works
              1·
              3 days ago

              I’ve only had to do it twice, the first time was after a particularly nasty sinus infection where I basically expelled an entire cast of my sinus cavity via sneeze ( 0/10 feeling, do not recommend ) and a second time when I was getting custom studio plugs made.

              You can also get an ear cleaning done by an ent where they’ll use tools, that was … unpleasant but so fucking effective.

              • FinishingDutch@lemmy.world
                1·
                3 days ago

                Yeah, an ENT will usually use a curette while looking into your ear. That’s like a little stick with a loop or scoop at the end. Basically, they’ll manually scrape it clean. It’s effective, but usually more unpleasant as you found out.

                Thankfully, drops and irrigation work just fine for me.

        • TheRealKuni@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          3 days ago

          You can actually irrigate at home, the sprayer is cheap and easy to use. I do it for my wife, whose ears get clogged frequently (no she does not use q-tips, she just produces a lot of wax and inherited the genes for it from her dad).

          • FinishingDutch@lemmy.world
            1·
            3 days ago

            You can, but in general it’s good to be aware of risk factors and the proper way to do it.

            For example, if you’ve had ear issues like a ruptured eardrum, ear tubes or a history of infections, it’s best to let a doctor look at it first. It’s a fairly safe thing to do, but there are contra-indications to be aware of.

            Another important note: if you’ve do irrigate, it’s usually best to use lukewarm water. If you’ve use cold water, it can lead to dizziness. Not everyone is susceptible to that, but it’s good to be aware of it.

            I’m like your wife, in that I get clogged ears naturally. Particularly my right ear. I have a slightly wonky ear canal, which causes wax to build up. I usually get it cleaned every year or so. Olive oil drops help to get things going.

  • BeMoreCareful@lemmy.worldEnglish
    131·
    4 days ago

    I had near constant ear infections for like three years. I always figured it was due to my allergies and unavoidable. Then I read a little throwaway comment of Lemmy about not using qtips and figured why not give them up for a while and see. I’d tried multiple rounds of steroids and antibiotics with not too much success.

    It worked. I haven’t had an ear infection since.