Your ears are an essential organ, and looking after their health is an integral part of preserving your hearing. Many actions can protect your hearing, such as avoiding noisy environments and turning down the volume of your headphones.
These preventive measures are often discussed, but one aspect of ear health is sometimes overlooked: ensuring your ears remain free of blockages and debris.
Ear canal obstruction is one possible cause of hearing loss. By adopting good ear hygiene, you can avoid excessive buildup and the subsequent hearing loss.
An earwax blockage can cause a type of hearing loss called conductive hearing loss, or even tinnitus. Fortunately, hearing problems related to an obstruction can usually be resolved by removing the blockage. However, this intervention can be costly, as it requires a trained healthcare professional.
Here's an overview of how to keep your ears clean and protect your hearing. As with dental hygiene, the best way to avoid future hearing problems is prevention.
These actions allow you to take control of your hearing health and work to preserve your hearing.
The most common misconceptions about ear cleaning
The ear is an extremely delicate organ, capable of detecting the slightest variations in air pressure and transmitting this information as sound. This ability to perceive such minimal changes makes it a fragile organ, to be treated with care.
People have invented all sorts of methods to "clean" their ears, but many offer no real benefit and can even be dangerous. Here's a look at the most common misconceptions.
Cotton swabs
One of the biggest misconceptions about ear hygiene is that you should use cotton swabs. You may have grown up thinking this was their primary function, but if you ask a doctor, they will most likely strongly advise against their use.
The main reason cotton swabs are not recommended is that they promote the formation of earwax plugs. They can even risk injuring the eardrum.
When you use a cotton swab, you're blindly operating in your ear, hoping the earwax sticks to the cotton. Without seeing what you're doing, you risk inadvertently pushing the earwax deeper and creating a blockage or irritation. You can also go too deep and injure your eardrum.
Ear candles
You've probably come across ear candles before. These are long, hollow cylindrical candles, supposed to facilitate the removal of earwax.
This spectacular product has appealed to many people, but it is actually ineffective and can even be dangerous. The FDA has cracked down on the use of ear candles, as their claims are unfounded and they can cause injuries.
Let your ears breathe
One of the main causes of blockages is keeping something on or in your ears for too long. Ears are designed to be exposed to the open air, which helps wick away moisture and allows earwax to flow normally.
When you cover or obstruct your ear canals, it can lead to earwax buildup. Here's how to promote good ear hygiene by more judiciously using your listening devices and anything that covers your ears.
Prefer over-ear headphones
Headphones have become an everyday accessory for many. From commuting on public transport to moments of concentration, many people wear headphones as an extension of themselves.
In-ear headphones are very practical, but for prolonged use, they are not ideal for keeping ears clean. Headphones that penetrate the ear generally create a seal with the ear canal, which allows for clearer and more effective sound transmission. Excellent for sound quality, but this seal prevents earwax and moisture from draining properly.
A good option for music lovers and headphone enthusiasts is to get headphones that are worn over the ears. Instead of creating a seal with the ear canal, over-ear headphones close around the ear, allowing your ear canals the breathing space they need.
Use your hearing aids when you need them
Hearing aids are another possible cause of ear obstruction. Most of them amplify sounds that would normally enter your ear to a perceptible volume. To do this, many function like headphones: they create a seal with the ear canal to transmit sound more effectively.
Hearing aids can be essential to your daily life, but to keep your ear canal clean, try to find times during the day when you don't need them, to let your ears breathe. By removing your hearing aids from time to time, you allow excess earwax and moisture to drain rather than create an obstruction.
The best times to give your ears a break: while you sleep, when you're relaxing with a book, or during personal hygiene, as you probably don't need acute hearing at these times.
If you use hearing aids like CLARIA's Atom Pro, these breaks are the ideal opportunity to put them back in their portable charging case so they can recharge and last all day.
Good ear hygiene
Since cotton swabs are to be avoided, you're probably wondering how to properly clean your ears. The answer might surprise you.
Here's what you can do to best preserve your ears and their health.
Earwax
Most ENT specialists agree that the ear is a naturally self-cleaning organ. In other words, it cleans itself, without you having to intervene. The ear therefore remains "clean" on its own, but the question of earwax accumulation can still arise.
Many people see earwax as something to get rid of, when in reality this secretion from the ear glands plays an important role: it helps keep the ears clean and healthy.
The ear owes its self-cleaning properties to the fact that it constantly produces this sticky substance which, over time, naturally flows out of the ear canal. Its sticky texture prevents particles, dust, and bacteria from settling deep in the canal. And its continuous production ensures its evacuation.
The best recommendation for cleaning your ears is not to insert anything into the canal and simply remove dry earwax from the surface of the ear. This avoids the unsightly appearance of crusty ears while allowing the earwax to do its job inside.
Wiping with a towel or damp washcloth after showering or washing your face greatly facilitates this cleaning. In addition to a washcloth, you can also use a damp paper towel or cotton pad.
Wash the outer ear
This is not directly related to preserving hearing, but good hygiene also means not forgetting your ears during personal care. Washing "behind the ears" is not just a saying: it's essential advice.
Washing behind the ears helps remove accumulated sebum and earwax, which can cause discomfort such as painful pimples. No need to scrub for a long time: remembering to clean them occasionally is enough to keep your ears healthy.
What to do in case of a blockage
Even with the best precautions, a blockage is always possible. Your first instinct might be to ask a loved one for help, but the best approach is to consult a healthcare professional.
As mentioned above, the ear is a very sensitive and delicate organ. Having a blockage removed by a trained professional is the safest and most effective way to restore your hearing. Many things can be done yourself, but not minor medical procedures, especially when they closely affect one of your main senses.
Hearing health
In summary, the best way to clean your ears is to let them breathe and not touch the ear canals. Simply wash and wipe the outer part of the ear to remove dry earwax and excess sebum.
If your ears are already blocked by excess earwax or another obstruction, consult a doctor to have it removed and restore your hearing.
Sources
Use and abuse of cotton buds | NCBI
Ear wax | NCBI
Import Alert 77-01 | FDA
Ear wax | MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
