Earwax is a normal build-up of dead cells, hair, foreign material such as dust, and natural wax which forms a protective coating on the skin in the ear canal. The quantity of earwax produced varies greatly from person to person.<\/p>\n
A doctor or nurse can look into the ear canal and confirm a plug of earwax has formed. A plug of earwax is not a serious problem, more a nuisance. You only need to remove earwax if it is causing symptoms such as dulled hearing or when fitting a hearing aid.<\/p>\n
Important<\/b><\/p>\n
If you think you have ear wax, do not try to clean the ear canal with cotton wool buds<\/b>. This can make things worse, as you will push some earwax deeper inside. It may also cause an ear infection.<\/p>\n
Removal with Olive Oil<\/b><\/p>\n
Ordinary olive or almond oil can be used with a dropper bottle (available in pharmacies).<\/p>\n
Removal With Special Drops from a Pharmacy<\/p>\n
Your local pharmacy will stock a variety of drops that can be more effective than olive oil, and should be tried before any further treatments for ear wax.<\/p>\n
Safer, and more effective than syringing, is microsuction. This is available through the NHS via a GP referral<\/b><\/a>\u00a0or privately at relatively low cost (around \u00a350 for both ears) from local providers. A non-exhaustive selection is listed below but others are available:<\/p>\n