What is ear wax?
Ear wax is a natural substance produced by your body to maintain a healthy environment in the inner ear by trapping dirt and bacteria. Unfortunately there can be times where too much wax builds up, becoming hard and impacted.
Why does ear wax build up?
There are several causes of wax build up, and one person may suffer from more than one issue.
- Some people naturally produce more ear wax
- Some people have narrower or more hairy ear canals making it harder for the wax to naturally move through the canal
- As we get older our ear wax becomes drier, and therefore harder
- The frequent use of ear plugs, hearing aids, or cotton buds to clean the ear can all impact wax
What symptoms may this cause?
Ear wax build up can cause;
· Irritation
· Discomfort
· Tinnitus
· hearing loss
· and in some cases infection.
These symptoms are often worse in people who have to wear hearing aids.