Ear wax is a naturally occurring substance produced in the ear by glands called ceruminous glands. It acts as a natural lubricant, thus preventing foreign objects from entering the ear canal and drying out of the skin by providing a protective coating to the inner ear.
Earwax can sometimes cause hearing problems if it builds up, which prevents good airflow into the ear. Excess earwax can also be impacting on health, such as causing you to hear badly or become distracted during everyday activities.
In such instances, you may want to check resources like this page; https://www.drbenmedical.sg/ear-wax-removal-singapore/ for a brief on how you can get the condition arrested or just to get the answers to questions that could be bothering you. Ideally, if your ears are impacting other aspects of your life, you can choose to get them ears syringed or have an earwax removal from a doctor or nurse through a process known as micro-suction, especially if you have been suffering from repeated cases of build-up over time.
Is Ear Wax Extraction Good?
Nurses and doctors can remove your earwax using special equipment called an otoscope or by using suction at the side of the ear canal. One of the common processes of earwax extraction in Singapore is known as ear irrigation.
With this method, water is passed through the ear canal to flush away any debris that may be caught inside (ear wax or other). As well as clearing your ears, it can also help with clearing up a foul smell from your ears too.
In the past, people used a variety of ways to get rid of ear wax build-up. Ear candling is one of the options which have been used for quite some time. It involves usage of a hollow candle which is put into the ear and set on fire so that it creates a vacuum that is meant to draw out any impurities from the ear, but there’s no truth in this method. In fact, you can cause more problems by doing so, such as perforating your eardrum or even setting your hair alight.
That doesn’t mean that earwax extraction cannot be done completely at home without leaving any marks behind or damage to the inside of the ears. The best way to carry this out safely is to use an ear wick to remove excess build-up in your ears without going through invasive methods.
An ear wick is a small cord that absorbs excess wax and impurities from the inner ear canal. This process helps to remove built-up debris and can help treat conditions such as the swimmer’s ear and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). The best thing about it is that this method is pain-free and simple enough to be done at home for those who know how to do this treatment themselves or by people who have been trained to carry out such treatments by using an ear wick on their patients.
If you wish to use an ear wick, firstly you will need some cotton wool balls, which you should soak in warm water, so they become pliable. Soaking them in warm water will soften the cotton wool balls, so they are easier to use.
The next thing you need to prepare is the ear wick itself. These are little sections of flat, round cord available from online retailers that come with a medical-grade adhesive on one end, making it stay fixed within the ear canal during treatment.
To start with:
- Position yourself by placing your elbow on another surface for stability and gently tipping your head to one side over a sink or bowl so that you can easily access your outer ear canal (not too far over as this may make you feel dizzy).
- Pick up an ear wick between forefinger and thumb and off any paper protecting the adhesive side of the wick.
- Gently pull down on your ear lobe to straighten the ear canal and gently ease the cotton wool balls soaked in warm water into your outer ear canal (to make this easier, use a pencil or something similar to push it in lightly).
- Apply firm pressure around the outside of your ear to keep everything in place as you carefully tear off some of the paper from the ear wick at one end, making sure that part of it is exposed, then apply that section of exposed adhesive onto your ear lobe (using clean fingers if need be). Hold that position for 10 seconds until it becomes secure. Make sure not to move about too much during this time so it can take hold properly. Next, breathe in through your nose and out of your mouth (to avoid air entering the ear canal) and stay like this for around 5 minutes.
- Wash away any excess cotton wool balls and water by gently tipping your head to one side and letting some lukewarm running water pass over the exposed section of the ear wick (using a container or cup). Repeat this step on your other ear.
You should always seek professional help from a trained medical practitioner if you feel you would prefer to let someone else do this treatment for you or if you are unsure of what to do yourself. If possible, it is best that a trained technician does this procedure for you as they will know the procedure better and be able to keep an eye on your ears at all times during the process.
It can also cause more damage if one’s hands shake when trying to hold onto something so unsteady. Hence, some people prefer using technicians who have been properly trained and educated to use an ear wick safely on their patients rather than doing it themselves. Telling whether there may have been any damage done by simply looking at your ear can be difficult, so it is best to have some sort of test that will assess the inner ear for any possible damage during the process.
The Bottom Line: How do you know if you need your ears professionally cleaned? (Signs to look for):
Ear wax extraction in Singapore is good but you may need to be aware of when this may be necessary. Some signs to look out for which may be an indication that it is time to clean your ears could include the following (although this list is not exhaustive by any means):
- A decrease in hearing, ringing, or buzzing in the ears
- The build-up of wax where there are visible blockages within the outer ear canal which inhibits sound waves from being able to carry down into the inner ear
- An increase in pain or discomfort at any point during day or night. This could indicate that water has gotten into your inner ear canal and should therefore receive immediate attention as soon as possible. Trained healthcare professionals usually carry out earwigs, so if you do have concerns about your ears or any particular changes in discomfort, you should contact your local GP immediately
Give us a call now at +65 888 12344 to book your appointment if you feel that your ears need to be cleaned or you just want a professional ear checkup.
Dr Ben Medical @ Raffles Place : Ear Wax Removal | Allergy Testing | Erectile Dysfunction
1 Raffles Pl, #04-50, Singapore 048616
+65 8886 7890
https://www.drbenmedical.sg/
