On the right way to open ears

It’s so comfortable to pull out your ears in the warm sun. Ear plucking is a regular activity in our daily life. It is not only for cleaning, but also for comfort and enjoyment. Although picking your ears with a cotton swab will make you feel good, this seemingly beautiful thing will actually have some bad effects

1. When you clean your ears, a little carelessness will bring bacteria into your ears

Dr. Adam Roberts, a senior lecturer in molecular microbiology at the University of London, believes that the ear has its own ecological environment and mixed flora, which could lead to potential infection if disturbed. “If the bacterial balance is changed, it’s not only possible to bring in some new pathogenic bacteria, it’s also possible to cause damage inside the ear,” he said

2. Ear infection may be caused by tools such as cotton swabs

Putting tools like cotton swabs in your ears is the quickest way to clean up the inside of your ears. The researchers surveyed 87 children with otitis externa and found that 70% of them had cleaned their ears with cotton swabs within a week before infection, and a third used them every day.

Another survey of Nigerian adults shows that the root cause of ear problems is the use of objects to clean ears. God, how can someone put things into their ears at will?

3. In essence, some earwax is very important

Your ears actually clean themselves like a conveyor belt, and earwax acts like a lubricant that keeps the conveyor belt running smoothly. Tools such as cotton swabs may not be able to remove dirt from the ears, or even push them deep into the ear canal.

4. Without earwax, your ears may dry and crack

Earwax is antibacterial, equivalent to the Vaseline we put on our body. It will moisturize your ears and prevent dryness. An interesting fact is that people used to use earwax as lip gloss in Vitoria.

5. Cleaning your ears will make you fall

Well, cleaning your ears may not make you fall. But plucking your ears can actually affect your balance. A German clinical study of 200 patients with traumatic tinnitus has shown that most ear perforations are caused by explosions and cotton swabs.

6. Candles may make you deaf

Ear candle is to put a hollow candle in the ear and light it, then suck out the earwax. Such a clean-up sounds dangerous and absurd. At present, there is no actual scientific research to confirm the efficacy of ear candles, but many people have facial burns, eardrum perforation or even deafness due to ear candles.

7. Cleaning the ears may cause tinnitus, deafness and other symptoms

Sweeping tools such as cotton swabs into your ears can cause earwax to clog up. Earwax can be expelled by itself, but because of your interference, it will pile up like a wall inside the ear. In the United States, more than 12 million people go to hospitals every year because of earwax blockage, and 8 million of them need to be removed. For a long time, earwax blockage will lead to a variety of terrible problems, such as deafness, tinnitus, peculiar smell and so on.

8. The cotton on the cotton swab may be stuck in the ear

In fact, this is a common problem. Sometimes, people don’t even realize that they have cotton in their ears. Can you imagine how a lump of cotton that has been in your ear for a few weeks, causing ear inflammation, was pulled out? It was a nightmare.

9. What are the safer ways to open your ears

We can use over-the-counter ear drops to soften or remove excess earwax, and some experts suggest using olive oil (ask your doctor before trying). In addition, if you think there are too many things in your ears, you can consider getting an ENT specialist to help you clean them up.