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Sulfur cork – what is it?
Sulfur plug is a dense formation consisting of sebum and sulfur. All these products are produced by the ear glands.
The composition of the sulfur plug includes cells of the desquamated epithelium lining the external auditory canal. It also contains dust particles.
The cork may have a different color. Sometimes it is yellow and sometimes dark brown. At first, the cork is soft, and then it becomes dense and can resemble a stone.
Sulfur plug is formed in approximately 4% of the inhabitants of Russia and 6% of the inhabitants of the whole world. It is most often found in adults. Sulfur plug in childhood is a rare phenomenon.
Although statistics indicate that this problem is not very common in today’s society, doctors say otherwise. In their opinion, the statistics are significantly underestimated. There is evidence that during the course of life, almost every person at least once encounters a sulfur plug.
There are some interesting facts about earwax that simply cannot be ignored:
In the Middle Ages, sulfur was used as a lip care product. She also wrote ancient manuscripts.
Wax from women’s ears has a higher acidity than male earwax.
The composition of this substance differs not only depending on the gender of a person, but also on his race. So, in Asians, sulfur is low-fat and dry, while in African Americans it is soft and contains a lot of fat.
The story itself proves the fact that the ears have the ability to self-purify from sulfur. The described situation happened at the beginning of the twentieth century. In one Chinese man, a bamboo chip damaged the integrity of the eardrum. They tried to extract it, but each attempt ended in failure, as the sliver opened up and could completely tear the membrane. Then the man was left alone and decided to just watch him. However, the ear was not inflamed. Over time, the sliver approached the edge of the eardrum, and then went out along the wall of the ear canal. There were no signs of injury in the ear.
How is the outer ear
The outer ear is represented by the auricle. It is elastic cartilage that is covered by skin. On the side of the shell is the auditory meatus. On its sides are two cartilaginous protrusions.
The external auditory canal originates outside the auricle. Its end point is the tympanic membrane. The ear canal has a slight curvature and two sections. The first is located closer to the exit and consists of cartilage and the membrane, and the second is located next to the eardrum and is represented by bone tissue. These two passages are separated by an isthmus.
The membranous-cartilaginous passage is covered with hairs, and glands are also present in it. Some produce sulfur, the second fat, and the third – sweat. In just 30 days, the sulfur glands produce about 20 mg of sulfur.
The bony part of the ear canal has no glands.
What is in earwax? Why does a person need it?
Sulfur contains fats, cholesterol, wax esters and unsaturated fatty acids. This composition of sulfur does not allow it to dissolve in water, but at the same time it provides lubrication of the dermis lining the ear canal, protects it from dust and drying out.
Ear wax contains antibacterial components, as well as lysozyme. It destroys the wall of microbes. It also contains immunoglobulins, which allow you to maintain local immunity. All these components of sulfur, as well as the acidic environment in the external auditory canal, are a reliable protection of the internal structures of the ear from pathogenic flora.
Sulfur production is a natural process that the body needs to protect itself from external attacks.
How do ears clean themselves of wax?
The external auditory meatus communicates with the internal part of the temporomandibular joint. While a person is talking or chewing food, sulfur moves from the eardrum outward.
The skin lining the ear canal grows as fast as human nails. As it grows, it pushes the ear secret out. Thus, the sulfur, which is attached to the eardrum, after 2-3 months, will independently be near the exit from the ear canal.
In addition, the auditory tube is covered with small hairs that are constantly in motion. Their vibrations also push the earwax out.
However, the self-cleaning mechanism of earwax can sometimes fail, resulting in the formation of a wax plug.
Reasons for the appearance of sulfur plug
There are the following factors that lead to the formation of an ear plug:
Violation of hygiene rules. If a person uses cotton swabs to clean the ear canal too often, or uses sharp objects for this purpose, such as toothpicks, this will lead to the formation of sulfuric plug. By such actions, it injures the skin, in response to which the sulfur glands begin to work more actively. Earwax is pushed deep into the passage and compacted. As a result, self-cleaning becomes impossible.
Too rough movements with a cotton swab lead to damage to the cilia of the external auditory canal, so they are no longer able to perform their functions as expected.
Features of anatomy. Sometimes a person’s ear canal is too narrow or tortuous from birth. This becomes an obstacle to self-cleaning of the ear from sulfur. Such anatomical features can be either congenital or acquired. The shape of the ear canal may change as a result of an injury.
Increased separation of earwax. If the lipid balance is disturbed in the human body, this leads to an increase in the amount of cholesterol in the ear canal. This substance is part of the earwax. It acquires increased viscosity, the process of its removal from the ear is difficult. Metabolic disorders can be a hereditary pathology, or develop against the background of certain diseases, for example, with atherosclerosis.
Inflammation and infectious diseases affecting the external auditory canal. Any diseases of the external ear lead to the fact that the sebaceous and sulfur glands activate their work. As a result, the ear simply does not have time to cope with such volumes of sulfur. In addition, there is a narrowing of the ear canal due to inflammation and swelling of its tissues. This is a mechanical barrier to the release of sulfur.
During illness, the qualitative composition of earwax changes. It becomes less lysozyme and immunoglobulins, which leads to secondary damage to the ear glands, and the course of inflammation only worsens.
Wearing a hearing aid. The hearing aid rubs the skin of the ear canal, in response to this, the sulfur glands begin to produce more sulfur. A similar situation can be observed with frequent use of headphones. The sulfuric secret is pushed into the deep structures of the passage and compacted. Also, this factor can provoke the development of inflammation.
Excess hairiness of the ear canal. When there is too much hair in the ear canal, it will interfere with the normal movement of wax through it. Most often, this problem occurs in older people.
Diseases of the skin of the external auditory canal. If the patient suffers from psoriasis or eczema, then the epidermis of the skin of the ear canal exfoliates in excess, mixes with sulfur, thickens and blocks the outlet. Also, against the background of non-infectious inflammation, the work of the sulfur glands increases, which exacerbates the problem.
Working in dusty environments. If a person works in a mine, in a mill or in another industry where there is a lot of dust, then it will certainly settle in the ear canal and disrupt the work of his cilia.
Foreign body entering the external auditory canal. If there is any foreign body in the ear canal, the glands will produce more secretions to get rid of it. As a result, a sulfur plug may form. Moreover, for the self-cleaning of the passage, it will have an obstacle in the form of this foreign object.
Prolonged time spent indoors with dry air. If the air humidity drops to 40% or less, then the skin of the ear canal will dry out. As a result, a hard sulfur plug will form.
Age features. As the body ages, the mechanisms for cleaning the ear from the secret deteriorate, and its production increases. An increase in the amount of hair in the ears also contributes to the formation of cork.
[Video] Sulfur Plug Causes and Treatments: