The Medical Consumer's Advocate
Wax problems in a hearing aid user
ear wax cleaning techniques
Q:
I wear
hearing aids 16 hours every day, consequently (I think) I
have ear wax build up. Do you have any suggestions?
A: The safest thing is to have a professional (an ear, nose and throat
specialist) check your ears and clean out the wax. We have
lots of specialized instruments designed to take out wax in
the safest, most painless way possible. You can also go to
your family doctor, who will most likely irrigate out the
wax. While this is usually safe, injuries have been known to
occur, particularly if there is a hole in your eardrum (which
your doctor would not know, since his/her ability to see the
eardrum is hindered by the wax). Irrigation can lead to painful infection
and even hearing loss, which is why people in my specialty generally condemn
irrigation as a means of wax removal. (IF your doctor has previously checked
your ears and knows that your eardrums are intact, and IF he/she irrigates
gently, then is it a safe technique).
Home remedies run the risk of
converting a partial wax impaction into a complete wax
impaction. Home remedies also run the risk of infection and
hearing loss (as with irrigation). Most over the counter wax removal systems
are dilute solutions of peroxide. Once again, if an individual has no other
ear disease (particularly, no holes in their eardrums) then
there are a number of substances that can be safely used in
the ears: dilute solutions of table vinegar (white vinegar in
water, 1:4); hydrogen peroxide (I usually recommend a 1:2 or
1:3 dilution in water, using the fairly dilute peroxide, 3%,
that is typically sold in pharmacies); and baby oil or olive
oil. Warm water can also be used to soften and "wash
out" ear wax, but dilute vinegar solutions are typically
used because they are less likely to cause an ear canal
infection (also known as swimmer's ear) than plain water.
I NEVER recommend these home remedies unless I have first examined the
person's ears and know that they have normal ear canals and
normal eardrums. SO... if you try this stuff at home, do so
at your own risk, and don't be mad at me if something awful
happens.