Anybody have good ideas about getting wax and other stuff our of your ears? Thanks.
It seems like the usual advice and web searches come up with having your doctor do it. The usual advice is to also not do it yourself. But when you're climbing out of the swimming pool twice and thrice a day... I confess to gently using q-tip's with much fear and concern so as not to go in too deep. There's thoughts of rubbing alcohol too... Does anybody else deal with this?
A long time ago, as a child, my eye, ear, nose & throat doctor recommended using vinegar with the Q-tips. Others use warm olive oil, and worst yet, some even pour hydrogen peroxide in the ear to foam out the wax. My current method is to aim my ear towards the shower head and flush it out with hot water after a swim. Doing so, not only loosens the wax, but also cleans out the salt, bacteria, and viruses that cause inner ear infections.
If you are worried about Otitis Externa (swimmer's ear) that's really not related to wax build up but is an infection with a variety of bugs. The best thing is a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol to irrigate your ear(s) after swimming for prevention. This works to treat infection too, but has to be done more frequently. It works as well if not better as anything you get by prescription.
If it's wax build up that is bugging you, this isn't a problem unless it impacts your hearing. The old hydrogen peroxide works great and anything you get a pharmacy (like debrox) is just hydrogen peroxide in a fancy and much more expensive form. After letting the hydrogen peroxide sit for a few minutes, irrigate the ear with a syringe of warm water. Don't use cold tap water or you can induce vertigo and, possibly, vomiting (we used to do this to each other in Med School as a treatment for boredom).
I use Aurodri after swimming to dry out the ears. You can buy this but if you have access to the chemicals, you can make it yourself; it is 95% isopropanol and 5% glycerol.
For removing wax, I use Debrox periodically if there is any blockage. After a few days of "softening" up the wax with this stuff, you can then flush out the wax with a syringe. You can buy these at CVS specially designed for the ear canal.
Hope this helps.
p.s. Olive oil also does the job!!!
I have bad ears that are prone to infection, and this works for me.
First, I use cotton-lanolin-beeswax earplugs. (You can get them at earplugsonline.com.) They seal better than any other earplug I've used, and I've tried all kinds, including the Speedo silicons. And they're comfortable.
Second, after getting out and showering, I put a couple of drops of rubbing alcohol into each ear (one at a time, of course), let it settle in for a few seconds, then let it drain out and follow up with a Q-tip. If you don't like the heat of the straight isopropyl alcohol, you can buy an alcohol-based solution at the drug store or swim shop.
And yes, I use Q-tips specifically. For my money, they've got the softest stem and the most padding.
If you use them properly, you don't have to worry about the swabs. Just gently swab the outer area of the canal (don't get anywhere near the drum) and the outer ear. What you want to avoid is tamping any wax deeper into the ear, or contacting any of the delicate structures in the inner part of the canal.
That does it for me.
If you have a problem with wax build-up, just pony up for an appointment with a good ENT, have him/her look at your ear and recommend a course of maintenance.
If you are worried about Otitis Externa (swimmer's ear) that's really not related to wax build up but is an infection with a variety of bugs. The best thing is a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol to irrigate your ear(s) after swimming for prevention.
The first statement is true, but I disagree with the second statement. The best thing you can do to prevent infections of the ear canal due to swimming is to use ear plugs that keep the water out of the ear canal.
I remember when I was young and ear aches. the throbbing pain and my mother put warm oil in my ear and took the pain away. I have always wondered what that oil was. She heated it in a pan of water , once it went in it soothed the pain then after about 10 minutes I would turn and it would come out with the same feeling that water in the ear has when it comes out and my ear felt so much better! I use the old Q-tips although I have read for years not to and some day would like to try the old ear candleing method for fun. I have not have had any ear problems for more then 15 years since I started wearing a watertight cap and water in my ears is not a problem.
It was probably mineral oil.
And I wouldn't recommend trying the candling, even for fun. First of all, lying on your side for 10 minutes with a burning wax cone stuck in your ear isn't much fun, and on top of that you risk getting the crud from the candle (which is what shows up in the bottom of the cone when you're done) into your ear.
If you want to try quack nostrums, why not use those "detox" pads that go on your feet? They're just as phony as ear candles, but they're probably not going to hurt you, and you can sleep through the "treatment".
I remember when I was young and ear aches. the throbbing pain and my mother put warm oil in my ear and took the pain away. I have always wondered what that oil was. She heated it in a pan of water , once it went in it soothed the pain then after about 10 minutes I would turn and it would come out with the same feeling that water in the ear has when it comes out and my ear felt so much better! I use the old Q-tips although I have read for years not to and some day would like to try the old ear candleing method for fun. I have not have had any ear problems for more then 15 years since I started wearing a watertight cap and water in my ears is not a problem.
