What to do if your child has a lot of earwax

Earwax is a yellow liquid. Some people have drier ears, so the inside of their ears will become dry and hard. It will hurt to clean it and it will also cause itching in the ears, which is very uncomfortable. However, some people have oilier ears, so the inside of their ears will become soft. After getting water in them, it will become liquid and needs to be cleaned out little by little with a cotton swab. What should you do if your child has a lot of earwax?

What causes excessive earwax? "Earwax" is medically called "cerumen", which is a greasy substance secreted by the cerumen glands, which are abnormal sweat glands in the skin of the external auditory canal. It becomes solid when dry and is yellow or brown in color. It protects the external auditory canal. Normal earwax is mostly in the form of light yellow flakes, attached to the wall of the external auditory canal.

Because the external auditory canal is close to the mandibular joint, when eating or talking, the flaky earwax in the ear canal will gradually loosen and be discharged out of the ear without being noticed. If there is too much earwax, it will completely block the external auditory canal and affect hearing. Earwax also easily absorbs water and expands. After swimming or washing your hair, the water can flow into the external auditory canal and cause the earwax to expand rapidly, resulting in sudden ear pain and hearing loss. If the earwax is located deep, it will compress the eardrum and cause discomfort such as tinnitus, deafness and dizziness.

Therefore, excessive earwax must be dealt with promptly. What causes excessive earwax? Earwax is the secretion of the cerumen glands in the skin of the ear. Some people have active cerumen glands and produce more earwax. This is normal. This is not a big cause for concern, but if you notice that your earwax suddenly increases over a period of time, or if you have symptoms of the following diseases, then you should pay attention.

1. Earwax impaction is the result of excessive and hard earwax, not the cause of it. Because of the characteristics of these earwax, they will form clumps and even block the ears and cause inflammation. The symptoms of this disease are obvious, including stuffy ears, dizziness, hearing loss and tinnitus. These symptoms are enough to send you to your doctor.

2. Chronic congestion of the skin of the external auditory canal will also increase the amount of earwax. Please note that this disease can cause tinnitus.

3. One of the symptoms of otitis media is excessive earwax and itching in the external auditory canal. At this time, if some yellow liquid flows out, it is most likely it. Fortunately, its symptoms are also relatively obvious.

4. Throat problems If there is a problem with the throat, the ears will also be affected. Fortunately, these conditions are complicated by itchy ears or ear pain.

How to relieve earwax

1. It is best to use a cotton swab and gently rotate it in the external auditory canal, then turn your ear downward and the earwax will come out by itself; try not to use sharp objects such as fingernails and iron sticks to pick your ears.

2. Do not form a habit of picking your ears frequently. Generally, you should pick your ears once a week or so. However, in dusty places or for people with oily ears, you can do it less frequently. You can control it according to your own situation.

3. If you do not clean your ears for a long time, cerumen blockage may form. At this time, it will be difficult to clean it out by yourself, and you should go to the hospital to use special instruments to remove it. After removal, use ear drops for 2-3 days to prevent infection.

The benefits of earwax

1. The oil rich in earwax can moisturize the fine hair in the ear canal and block dust particles.

2. Earwax and fine hair can prevent insects and other pests from invading the ears. At the same time, earwax tastes bitter, and the bugs will return when they taste the bitterness.

3. Oil-rich earwax can keep the ear canal warm and humid, preventing the eardrum from drying out and keeping it in the best possible state of movement.

4. Earwax and fine hair can make the ear canal cavity slightly narrower, filtering and buffering the incoming sound waves, so that the eardrum will not be injured by strong sound.

Although earwax has many benefits, you still need to clean it diligently. If you have excessive earwax on a regular basis, you should go to the hospital for examination and treatment.