{"id":2322,"date":"2024-03-15T13:05:20","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T17:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/?p=2322"},"modified":"2024-03-15T13:05:35","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T17:05:35","slug":"why-does-my-earwax-build-up-and-can-it-affect-my-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/why-does-my-earwax-build-up-and-can-it-affect-my-hearing\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Does My Earwax Build Up (And Can It Affect My Hearing)?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Earwax, or cerumen is the waxy substance in your ear produced by glands in your ear canal to protect against germs. The accumulation of earwax is a natural process of the body and reduces the risk of infection.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"too-much-earwax\">Too Much Earwax?<\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Doctor-looks-inside-womans-ear.jpg\" alt=\"Doctor looks inside woman's ear\" class=\"wp-image-2325\" width=\"-142\" height=\"-94\" srcset=\"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Doctor-looks-inside-womans-ear.jpg 1254w, https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Doctor-looks-inside-womans-ear-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Doctor-looks-inside-womans-ear-256x171.jpg 256w, https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Doctor-looks-inside-womans-ear-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1254px) 100vw, 1254px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Normally, a small quantity of wax accumulates and then dries up and falls out of the ear canal, along with any trapped dust or debris. However, sometimes the body produces too much earwax, and it over-accumulates in the ear when not effectively removed from the canal. This can lead to a blockage called a cerumen impaction and can potentially i<a href=\"https:\/\/entnova.com\/hearing\/hearing-loss\/\">mpact your ability to hear<\/a>. There are a few causes of earwax buildup, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The natural shape of your ear canal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Age<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Impaction caused by hearing aids or earplugs that push wax deeper into the ear canal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Incorrect cleaning habits such as the use of cotton swabs that push the earwax deeper into the ear<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Skin conditions such as eczema<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stress<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes people are also genetically predisposed to overproduce earwax for no apparent reason, in which case impaction is recurrent.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"symptoms-and-treatments\">Symptoms and Treatments<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>A buildup of earwax can lead to various symptoms, including hearing loss, due to the ear canal being blocked. This does not allow sound waves to the inner ear hair cells that transmit sound signals to the brain. Additional symptoms may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Earaches<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A sensation of fullness in the ear<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tinnitus<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dizziness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coughing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Itchiness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Odor or discharge<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The presence of these symptoms may not always indicate a wax buildup; it could signify a different health issue, emphasizing the importance of seeing a doctor if you experience similar symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/2150132720904181\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Earwax buildup is often harmless<\/a>, but the safest and most effective treatment for excessive or impacted earwax is often professional removal by a doctor. A doctor may use several methods for earwax removal, including using a curet (a small, curved instrument), suction techniques or ear irrigation with warm water and saline or diluted hydrogen peroxide. Additionally, they may recommend medicated ear drops to soften the wax, which should be used as directed because they can irritate the sensitive skin of the ear canal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Self-care for earwax includes avoiding the insertion of any objects into the ear canal and seeking professional advice on safe ways to reduce wax buildup, such as the use of earwax-softening agents if prone to blockages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To prevent earwax buildup and <a href=\"https:\/\/entnova.com\/hearing\/hearing-loss\/single-sided-deafness\/\">possible hearing loss<\/a>, it\u2019s advised to have regular checkups with your ENT. To schedule an appointment for ear, nose or throat care, contact <span class=\"company-name \">ENT Specialists Of Northern Virginia<\/span> to schedule an appointment today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entnova.com\/how-noise-affects-your-mood-and-memory\/\" class=\"related-post\">How Noise Affects Your Mood and Memory<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entnova.com\/is-hearing-loss-making-you-anxious\/\" class=\"related-post\">Is Hearing Loss Making You Anxious?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entnova.com\/is-hearing-loss-making-me-tired\/\" class=\"related-post\">Is Hearing Loss Making Me Tired?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Earwax, or cerumen is the waxy substance in your ear produced by glands in your ear canal to protect against germs. The accumulation of earwax is a natural process of the body and reduces the risk of infection. Too Much Earwax? Normally, a small quantity of wax accumulates and then dries up and falls out&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hearing-aids","category-hearing-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2322"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2329,"href":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322\/revisions\/2329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entnova.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}