Do you (regularly) clean your ears with a cotton swab and wonder how much harm that can actually do? We too have asked ourselves how bad it is to clean your ears with a cotton swab and we now have the answer for you. Are you reading along?
It may look gross, but this sticky stuff plays an important role in the health of your ears. In fact, earwax is the BFF of your ears. Earwax is made up of natural substances released from your ear canal, mixed with hair and dead skin cells. It often starts out as an oily, yellowish liquid. As it builds up and ages in your ear canal, it can turn brown or black.
Earwax is relatively acidic to protect your ears' microbiome, an ecosystem of healthy bacteria. It provides a good balance of microorganisms and prevents the overgrowth of bacteria and fungi, which could lead to painful ear infections. A recent study even found that human earwax has antibacterial and antifungal properties. In addition, earwax keeps your ear canal moist. Removing the wax from your ears can make them dry and itchy.
In addition to preserving your earwax, there are five good reasons why you should not clean your ears with a cotton swab:
Swipe a cotton swab around your ear can cause small scratches called micro-abrasions. This makes you more likely to develop a painful ear infection, including swelling and pus. That also applies to cheap music earphones.
Through your ears To clean it, slide the wax further into your ear. We only make earwax in the outer third of our ear canal, not near our eardrum. The canal is made to push the earwax out naturally. Pushing it further in will make it take longer to come out and you may even need a doctor to get it out. In the meantime, you may lose some of your hearing, making it feel like you're wearing an earplug. You can also get an ear infection . faster of getting.
If you push the swab too deeply into your ear, you can damage your drum puncture. As a result, you lose part of your hearing and you are more at risk of ear infections. It usually heals on its own, but that can take a few months.
Behind the eardrum lies the otic capsule, the wall of the inner part of your ear. Piercing this part can cause irreparable damage, leading to permanent deafness. It can also lead to dizziness , which can saddle you with balance problems. And while we're on the subject of going deaf… if you're using headphones, use one that goes over your ears rather than in your ears. Like this .
If you puncture your eardrum, you can shift the small bones that transmit sound to the inner part of your ear. This cannot recover on its own, you need surgery for that.
Probably not. Excess earwax will come out of your ears on its own and bring dirt, dust and other leftovers with you. The movement of your jaw as you talk or chew helps with this. When your earwax gets into the opening of your ear, it dries and flakes off. So you don't have to clean because they do it themselves. Unless you do it on doctor's advice, of course.
Source:Livestrong.com , image:Getty Images
