Removing ear wax

[Russell]

We are trying bicarb eardrops that have glycerol in them.  The French sourced drops I mentioned smell strongly of acetone so may not be the same as Otex.

[hellymedic]

I quite understand those who DIY.
20ml syringes won't generate much pressure but 60ml syringes will generate less.
Remember, the smallest syringes generate the highest pressures (even if the volume is trivial).

[hbunnet]

I quite understand those who DIY.
20ml syringes won't generate much pressure but 60ml syringes will generate less.
Remember, the smallest syringes generate the highest pressures (even if the volume is trivial).

I don't get the physics of that Helly.  But pressure wasn't the right term, I was referring to volume over time.

[hellymedic]

I quite understand those who DIY.
20ml syringes won't generate much pressure but 60ml syringes will generate less.
Remember, the smallest syringes generate the highest pressures (even if the volume is trivial).

I don't get the physics of that Helly.  But pressure wasn't the right term, I was referring to volume over time.

60 ml syringe has piston with area of about 8cm² at a guess
20 ml syringe has piston with area of around 3 cm ²
5 ml syringe has piston area of maybe 1 cm²

Apply same force over smaller area and you'll get higher pressure; you obviously never wore stiletto heels  and never had anyone wearing them tread on your toes!

The volume of the ear canal is less than a millilitre.

[andyoxon]

Olive oil each day, then this Aculife from Amazon.  It worked for me.  The silicone head directs the jets of water onto the side of the ear canal.  Saved me a trip to the GPnurse for 'syringing'.

[Tim Hall]

Somewhere on teh internets is a write up, with refs and everything, detailing the removal of earwax using a Super Soaker water pistol thing.

<fx: tappity tap>  Here you go: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/173/12/1496.full

[hellymedic]

I quite understand those who DIY.
20ml syringes won't generate much pressure but 60ml syringes will generate less.
Remember, the smallest syringes generate the highest pressures (even if the volume is trivial).

I don't get the physics of that Helly.  But pressure wasn't the right term, I was referring to volume over time.

Have you ever tried inflating a bike tyre with a wide-bored pump? Did you ever get it above 60psi?
There's reasons why I like my zéfal hp-x!

[hbunnet]

I quite understand those who DIY.
20ml syringes won't generate much pressure but 60ml syringes will generate less.
Remember, the smallest syringes generate the highest pressures (even if the volume is trivial).

I don't get the physics of that Helly.  But pressure wasn't the right term, I was referring to volume over time.

60 ml syringe has piston with area of about 8cm² at a guess
20 ml syringe has piston with area of around 3 cm ²
5 ml syringe has piston area of maybe 1 cm²

Apply same force over smaller area and you'll get higher pressure; you obviously never wore stiletto heels  and never had anyone wearing them tread on your toes!

The volume of the ear canal is less than a millilitre.

That's the physics of pistons. No problem with that. 
 

[hellymedic]

I don't get the physics of that Helly.  But pressure wasn't the right term, I was referring to volume over time.

I might call that flow rate but I'm not a physicist or hydraulic engineer.

[Nutbeem]

Ear wax is naturally produced, meant to be there and should clear itself so that ear irrigation shouldn't be required (Ears are irrigated these days using a Propulse machine or similar, syringing is old school). Natural clearing of the wax may be problematic for those wearing hearing aids as they, obviously, occlude the ear canal.

The best solution is regular use of ear drops, olive oil or similar, to soften the wax and encourage it to drain. I would suggest putting drops in each ear once a week. Here's the important bit; you need to do it while lying on your side to let the drops soak down and stay on your side for a good 10-15 minutes, don't use cotton wool to try and keep the oil in place as it will just wick it out. Once the oil has soaked in turn your head the other way to let the oil and wax drain out and don't be in a rush to put your hearing aid back in.

Ear irrigation is one of my, varied, duties. It's not something I'm keen on doing. If the person has been instilling drops correctly it shouldn't need doing, if they haven't the wax is often still too hard to irrigate. It's a relativelty time consuming job, often requiring repeat visits and there is an inherent risk of causing damage to the ear drum. That said it is rewarding when big hard lumps of wax are coaxed out of the ear.

[Brucey]

A friend who is an antiques dealer insisted that the tiny, silver, delicately shaped spoon or shovel shaped object was in fact for removing ear-wax.

it may well have been; apparently the Romans had such instruments, and I doubt they disappeared in the meantime. Then again it may have been a tiny snuff-spoon.
This is a roman ear-wax spoon;



Anything you stick in your ear may itself cause an infection and/or (if clumsily used) damage your eardrum. Caution is advised!
A potential issue with the use of cotton buds or Kirby grips is that there is part on the end that may become  detached, which would be a bad thing.

If you look on e-bay you can find ear-wax spoons, ear wax scoops, ear wax curettes.

cheers

[simonp]

I had a problem recently and had micro suction because you don't need to go through the whole olive oil nonsense (olive oil drops make the problem worse, not better, since it tends to cause the wax to slough against the drum). Maybe once your ears are clear an occasional drop is ok but just putting olive oil in turned me from a little bit deaf to a lot deaf. I was supposed to do this for two weeks before having syringing, but it wasn't needed for micro suction.

It isn't always easy; poor chap in front of me was having a terrible time. Having an ear canal that's Tardis like (bigger on the inside than outside) and a hard lump of wax in the inner canal that's two large to travel down the outer - not helpful.

I ended up getting both treatments (syringe for the easy stuff and microsuction to tidy up) and the change in my hearing was basically instantaneous night and day. I'd no idea how bad it had become; in my case I think the ear plugs I use on the motorbike had contributed to the problem, helping to push was further in, a bit like the OP.

[Redlight]

I've had this problem intermittently. Most of the time, a week or so's application of earwax as PhilB describes does the trick but when it does get severe I've had to go to the GP.  On the most recent occasion - about four years ago - the nurse used a pulsing device on the outside of the ear which, she explained, gently breaks up the wax so that it can then be flushed out without syringing.  Completely painless, although it took a bit longer than the old fashioned squirt-the-dirt approach. 

I've not had to go back since 

[JonJo]

Also a regular problem for me but if I swim regularly my ears don't get blocked. Guessing it's the chlorine in the water that keeps them clear.

[ElyDave]

I think the ear plugs have an effect as well, I use them during site visits, non moulded throw away type. The generic comment during offshore medicals is build up of wax in the ear, but it's never been enough to affect the audiometry. 

Generally the olive oil softening and then a trip to the practice nurse does the trick about once every year or two.

[Sergeant Pluck]

https://www.tofugu.com/japan/mimikaki/

“Many Japanese grew up having their ears cleaned by their mothers, and associate it with pleasant feelings of maternal closeness.”

Or, in my partner's case, one would go to visit grandparents and have the same treatment. All very relaxing, allegedly. On seeing my partner's mimikaki collection, I made my thoughts clear on this madness, nothing larger than your elbow, self-cleaning ears etc. with no effect.

She's awaiting an audiology review at the moment. 

There has been recent public health advice on ear syringing to the effect that it should not be done and that it is old hat. Microsuction is the thing now.

[andytheflyer]

Otex ear drops have always worked for me.  They use Urea Hydrogen Peroxide and fizz in your ear.

What he said. I'd had a problem for years, been regularly syringed. Lasted about 6 months - but the doctor was getting less keen to do it.  Tried olive oil etc. and any product I tried was of no use.

Then I tried Otex.  Brilliant.  I put it in one ear at night, then sleep on the other side so the oil stays in. It needs 4 or 5 nights of applications per side, but it really works.  Needs doing about 2x a year.

I suspect it's the bubbling action that dislodges any loose bits.  It's a weird sensation, but I think it's a case of no bubbling, no wax, which seems to indicate the point where I can stop the treatment.  I'm relieved not to have to go to the doc's for syringing any more.