Earwax is a substance in the ear canal that performs a number of important functions. Before you take a Q-tip to clean your ears, read this article, which tells interesting facts about earwax and why we need it.
- Earwax has a waxy texture and is a combination of secretions (mostly lard and sweat) mixed with dead skin cells, hair and dust.
- There are two types of earwax. In the first case, it is dry sulfur – gray and flaky, in the second – more moist, resembling brown honey. Your sulfur type depends on genetics.
- Sulfur keeps our ears clean. Earwax protects the ear canals as much as possible from “foreign objects” such as dust, water, bacteria, and infections.
- Itching protection. Sulfur lubricates the inside of the ear, preventing it from dryness and itching.
- The ears are an organ adapted to self-purification. And trying to clean the ears of wax with cotton swabs or any other tools – in fact, driving wax into the depths of the ear canal, which can lead to health problems.
Instead of cotton swabs, it is recommended to get rid of sulfuric blockage as follows: drop drops of warm water with saline solution from a syringe or pipette into the ear. If the blockage does not go away, see a doctor.