Ear candling is a popular trend on social media, but does it actually clean earwax from your ears? Keep reading to find out!
What is Ear Candling?
An ear candle is a hollow fabric cone soaked in paraffin or wax. To use an ear candle, a paper plate with a hole in it is placed over the ear of the person receiving the ear candling as they lie on their side. The ear candle is then placed in the hole in the paper plate and into the ear canal. Sound fun yet?…it gets better.
Once the ear candle is in place within the ear, it is lit and allowed to burn for about 10-15 minutes, or until 3-4 inches of the candle is burned. After that time, the candle is cut open supposedly revealing all the wax, debris, and other impurities that were forced out of your ear by the alleged gentle suction of the burning candle.
If you’re starting to realize that ear candling may not be all it is cracked up to be, you’re on the right track. According to an article published on theNational Library of Medicine website, “No evidence suggests that ear candling is an effective treatment for any condition”. It actually increases the risk of injury to your ear canal, may compromise or decrease your hearing, and poses the probability of getting burned.
Another fact standing in the way of ear candling being an effective way to remove earwax is that earwax is extremely sticky. This is the case especially when the wax is hard and firmly packed together. Strong suction would be needed to remove it, and one study on ear candling found that there is no suction whatsoever during an ear candling procedure.
The answer is that ear candling is not the right choice for removing earwax, but there are some things you can do safely to clean your ears.
Safer Methods to Clean Ears
First, earwax is not the enemy, it serves an important purpose for the health of our ears and bodies. Earwax coats the inside of our ear canals to catch dirt, bacteria, and other objects from traveling too far into the ear canal. Without the protection of earwax, debris could travel too far into the ear canal and disrupt the eardrum or other important parts of our hearing system.
Our ears are naturally meant to clean themselves. Earwax migrates from deeper in the ear canal to the ear canal opening via different mechanisms, including normal skin migration pattern and movement of the jaw joint. Earwax is pushed towards the opening of your ear canal where it is either washed away or falls out. Showering regularly and gently wiping your ears after should be enough to keep your ears clean.
However, some people do produce more earwax than others. While others may experience a wax build-up from inserting cotton swabs into their ears and pushing the wax further into their ear canal rather than cleaning it out. When earwax needs to be removed, seeing a professional hearing specialist, audiologist, or ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist should be the first step.
Visit a Hearing Professional
Having an audiologist examine your ear canal should be a priority if you believe your earwax is excessive, causing pain, or limiting your ability to hear. An audiologist can assess the overall health of your ears and provide recommendations to keep them in good health. They can also safely remove excessive earwax from your ears with specialized tools and techniques.
A professional ear cleaning from an audiologist eliminates the danger of harming your ears by trying to clean them yourself. Earwax can become impacted, which means it is pushed far into the ear canal and may be blocking part of the eardrum. This condition usually causes some discomfort or an ear infection. Trusting an audiologist, like those at Hearing Solution Centers, to remove this type of blockage is the right choice.
Once your earwax is cleaned out, your audiologist can suggest some ways to avoid the build-up of wax again. They may suggest earwax softening drops that are sold over the counter and act to soften up hardened wax. These drops usually contain hydrogen peroxide and are gentle on ear tissue. They may also suggest gently flushing your ears with warm water while you shower to loosen up and dislodge any built up wax.
Remember, removing earwax on your own can lead to permanent damage to your ear canal and your hearing. Always enlist the help of an audiologist or hearing care professional to get rid of excessive earwax.
If you or someone you know has an issue with earwax, reach out to the team at Hearing Solution Centers today!