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Earwax is a waxy secretion made by your ear canal. It helps to clean your ear and prevent infections. It does this by being sticky and trapping dust. The muscles of your jaw help the wax to move out of your ear. Earwax is usually yellow or brown in Caucasians and flakier and grey in Asians and Pacific Peoples.
The image below shows earwax coming out of a child's ear naturally.
Image credit:Depositphotos
Some people naturally make a lot of earwax, or make hard and dry wax that's more likely to build-up. Other things affecting wax build-up include:
The build up of earwax is diagnosed by examination of your ears using an otoscope.
If earwax build up isn't causing any symptoms, it doesn’t need to be treated. There are people who can’t tell you about symptoms, such as people with dementia.
Ear drops soften wax to help it move out naturally. You can do this treatment yourself, but you shouldn’t use them if:
You can buy ear drops from your pharmacy. They often have the ingredients acetic acid 2.5%, sodium bicarbonate 10%, carbamide peroxide, saline or mixtures such as cerumol or waxsol. Read the full instructions on the packaging.
Otherwise you can use baby oil, almond oil, or canola oil. Yes, that’s cooking oil from the supermarket. Use a dropper or teaspoon to put 2 to 3 drops in your ear twice a day for 4 or 5 days.
Make sure the drops are at room temperature or you can get dizzy. Read more about how to apply ear drops. After treatment the softened wax can take up to 2 weeks to fall out.
If ear drops alone haven't helped the wax fall out you can have it removed. This works best if you've softened it first – your healthcare provider will advise you what to do. The procedures used to remove earwax shouldn't be painful. The safest procedure is microsuction.
Microsuction
A machine with a small sucker is used to suck the earwax out of your ear. This can be noisy.
Depending on where you live, the most cost effective way to have this done is by making an appointment with a private audiologist or some branches of Hearing New Zealand(external link).
If this isn't available to you, or if you have a community services card, you may be better to make an appointment at your medical centre. They may have a microsuction device, or they may use water or a special instrument. Children can be referred to public health ear nurses for microsuction.
The image below shows how microsuction is done with the red ball representing a plug of earwax.
Image credit: Depositphotos
Syringing or ear irrigation
Warm water is squirted into your ear to weaken and loosen the wax. The wax flows out of your ear with the water. This feels strange but it shouldn't hurt
Irrigation can damage your ear including making a hole in your ear drum so it needs to be done very carefully. Your doctor or nurse can do it, or you can do it at home using a special treatment kit from your pharmacy but this is less safe.
Irrigation isn't suitable for young children.
Manual removal
Your healthcare provider uses a thin instrument with a small loop or scoop at one end to remove the wax, while looking carefully to make sure your ear isn't damaged.
Note: Ear candles don’t work and can cause serious injury.
If you're an older adult, wear hearing aids, or you naturally make a lot of earwax, talk to your healthcare provider about using drops once a week for prevention.
Some people find that sugar free gum helps because the movement of muscles during chewing helps move the earwax out of the ear.
HealthPathways(external link) includes olive oil for the management of earwax, but most international sources avoid it, likely due to viscosity and occlusion of the ear canal and microsuction equipment.
From: Schwartz SR, Magit AE, Rosenfeld RM, et al. Clinical practice guideline (update) – earwax (cerumen impaction)(external link) Otolaryngol – Head Neck Surg. 2017;156(1S):S1–S29.
The guideline includes the following recommendations.
Poulton S, Anderson D, Bennet D, et al. Earwax management(external link) Aust Fam Physician 2015;44(10):731–734
Michaudet C, Malaty J. Cerumen impaction – diagnosis and management(external link) Am Fam Physician 2018;98(8):525–529
Credits: Healthify editorial team. Healthify is brought to you by Health Navigator Charitable Trust.
Reviewed by: Dr Emma Dunning, Clinical Editor and Advisor
Last reviewed:
