How to understand that you have a plug in your ear, and how to get rid of it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Sometimes just chewing is enough.

Earache and hearing loss can be caused by dozens of reasons. The most popular among them is the sulfur plug.

What is earwax

Earwax is part of the ear's natural defense mechanism. This is the name of the substance that is produced by the sulfur glands located in the skin of the external auditory canal. It mixes with dead skin cells, and the output is a yellowish sticky substance, which consists of Earwax Impaction: Symptoms, Predisposing Factors and Perception among Nigerians from keratin - up to 60%, fatty acids and alcohols - up to 20%, cholesterol - up to 9% …

This composition makes sulfur an ideal defense against external intrusion. The substance has the following properties:

• antibacterial - thanks to fatty alcohols and acids, which create an environment unbearable for microbes;
• water-repellent - all the same fatty acids are responsible for this;
• moisturizing - the oily layer protects the skin of the ear canal from drying out;
• trapping - the sticky texture of sulfur traps dirt, insects, even fungi and bacteria that accidentally get into the ear.

Normally, sulfur with all the "invaders" caught by it is removed from the ear on its own. This is due to the movement of the temporomandibular joint when we chew or talk. It slowly moves towards the exit from the ear canal and eventually falls out of it (by the way, this is the reason why it is worth regularly washing the auricle).

However, this is not always the case.

Where does the sulfuric plug come from?

Here are a few common causes of What you need to know about earwax that cause wax to clump and turn into cork.

• Increased sulfur production. The average ear produces about 20 mg of earwax per month. But some people have more. Such an amount is more difficult to remove naturally, sulfur accumulates and strays into a lump.
• Swimming. In some people, water in the ears irritates the ear canal and causes it to produce more sulfur.
• The ear canals are too narrow. This is an individual, genetically determined feature, as a result of which even a normal amount of sulfur can block the auditory canal.
• Hairy ear canals. The hairs prevent the sulfur from flowing naturally towards the exit.
• Skin diseases. For example, eczema. It makes the wax produced in the ears drier and harder and more difficult to remove.
• Elderly age. Earwax also gets harder and drier over the years.
• Hearing Aids. Incorrectly selected devices (for example, those that are too tight in the ear canal) contribute to the formation of plugs for two reasons. First, they stimulate sulfur production. Secondly, they interfere with its natural excretion.
• The habit of picking your ears. A finger or a cotton swab is not that important. By "cleaning" your ears, you are actually pushing the almost released wax back, deep into the ear canal, and even tamping it down.

How to tell if you have a plug in your ear

There are not so many symptoms of Earwax sulfur plug:

• hearing impairment in the ear where the plug has formed;
• feeling of congestion;
• slight itching;
• possibly ringing or noise in the ear;
• sometimes there is pain that goes away quickly enough.

These signs suggest that it is a plug in the ear, and not some other, more unpleasant process.

Please note: if you observe other symptoms - for example, fever, or acute pain that lasts for hours, or severe dizziness, or nausea - this is a direct indication for a visit to the otolaryngologist. Such symptoms may indicate otitis media or inflammation in the nasopharynx. To avoid complications, including hearing loss, such diseases must be treated under the supervision of a doctor.

How to get rid of a plug in your ear

If you are sure that we are talking about sulfuric plug, and not about a more serious disease, try to cope with it at home.

1. Chew actively

Chewing gum, or just work your jaws. The work of the joints will help push the plug towards the exit. Or, at least, it will change its shape: this will help relieve pain caused by the difference in pressure before and after the plug.

2. Use ear drops from plugs

Pharmacy cork drops contain substances that help soften and remove sulfur (for example, allantoin). Use drops as directed.

If there are no pharmacy products at hand, you can use homemade ones:

• hydrogen peroxide;
• almond, olive, baby oil;
• glycerol;
• camphor or liquid paraffin heated in a water bath to body temperature.

Lie down with your head turned so that the affected ear is directed upward, drip 2-3 drops of the product and stay in this position for a couple of minutes. Then rise up and tilt your head so that the oil or liquid can drain out. Repeat this procedure twice a day until the plug disappears. This can take up to two weeks.

Attention! You can only bury your ears if you are sure that you do not have a ruptured eardrum.

3. See an otolaryngologist

This is the fastest and most efficient way. The doctor will rinse the ear or (if rinsing is contraindicated for some reason) remove the plug with a special probe with a hook. Such manipulations take just a few minutes.

What not to do if you have a plug in your ear

1. Clean your ear with your finger or a cotton swab

Thus, you risk aggravating the situation by making the plug even tighter and pushing it deeper into the ear canal.

2. Self-medicate when there are other symptoms

This is fraught with serious complications. In case of fever or acute pain that does not go away, be sure to consult the ENT.