What to know about earwax blockages

Earwax, also known as cerumen, is a natural secretion that protects, lubricates and cleans your ear canal by slowing bacteria growth and trapping dirt. Over accumulation or hardening of earwax, however, can cause blockages with unpleasant symptoms.

Earwax is secreted by glands under the skin of the outer half of your ear canals. Normally, this wax makes its way to the ears’ opening, where it falls out or is washed away. Excessive secretion of earwax or ineffective clearing of the wax can cause it to build up or harden and block your ear canal.

Blockages are often caused when people clean their ears with cotton swabs, which can push wax deeper into the ear canal.

Signs and symptoms:

• Earache

• Feeling of fullness in the affected ear

• Ringing or noises in the ear (tinnitus)

• Decreased hearing in the affected ear

• Dizziness

• Cough

The Mayo Clinic recommends contacting your doctor rather than trying to clear an earwax blockage yourself.

“Signs and symptoms could indicate another condition. You may think you can deal with earwax on your own, but there’s no way to know if you have excessive earwax without having someone, usually your doctor, look in your ears. Wax removal is most safely done by a doctor. Your ear canal and eardrum are delicate and can be damaged easily by excess earwax. Don’t try to remove earwax yourself with any device placed into your ear canal, especially if you have had ear surgery, have a perforation in your eardrum, or are having ear pain or drainage.”