Probably, at least once in his life, everyone has come across a situation when cotton wool got stuck in the ear during cleaning. Many begin to panic and try to get it in the most unthinkable ways. As a result, mechanical damage to the auricle or eardrum. Even if this did not happen, not knowing how to get the cotton wool out of the ear quickly and correctly, you can push it even further after a series of unsuccessful attempts, and then only a doctor will help to solve the problem.
Home Ways
Here are some time-tested and fairly effective tips on what to do if cotton wool gets stuck in your ear. They are easy to apply at home, while remembering to exercise the utmost care:
- If the cotton wool is not stuck in the ear deeply and its tip is clearly visible from the outside, then the easiest way is to remove it from there with ordinary tweezers (you can not use medical ones, but ordinary ones for plucking eyebrows). It is enough to take tweezers, go to the mirror, grab the tip of the fleece, squeeze it tightly and gently pull it out. This should be done slowly, so as not to tear off the visible piece of cotton wool, and only if the tweezers should not be immersed too deeply into the ear canal.
- Another easy way to remove a cotton swab from your ear that is not too deeply stuck is to wrap the little finger with a plaster or tape with the sticky side outward and gently insert it into the ear canal. The fibers of the fleece will stick to the sticky layer and it will be easy enough to pull it out. If the fleece is deep, this method should by no means be used - there is a risk of pushing it much further.
- When, after cleaning the auricle with a cotton swab, there is still cotton in the ear, you can try to remove it with the same stick or another from which most of the cotton was previously removed. It must be inserted gently into the ear canal to the place where the stuck cotton wool is located. After the stick comes into contact with the cotton swab, the stick must be carefully rotated, winding fibers around it.
To make the cotton wool stick better, you can moisten the stick with water. When it is wound up, slowly and carefully pull the cotton out.
- Take another cotton swab and spread it well with bee honey. Then, rotating clockwise, gently and slowly introduce it into the ear canal. The fibers will stick and start to wrap. When you feel a steady tension, you can gently pull the stick out. Usually this method works well. Then the auricle must be cleaned of honey residues.
- When there is an opportunity to seek outside help, you can lie on your healthy ear in a well-lit area. The assistant gently pulls the earlobe with a stuck cotton swab towards itself and thus it moves a little closer to the exit. Then, with a match (no sulfur!) Or other blunt object, he picks up the tip of the cotton wool and slowly pulls it towards himself.
Perhaps these are all relatively safe methods that you can resort to yourself at home. If none of them worked, go to the hospital immediately!
What not to do
On the Internet, you can find dozens of other ways to get cotton wool out of your ear, but not all of them are effective, and even more so safe. Many can lead to quite serious injuries and complications. Therefore, when cotton wool is stuck in the ear, what should not be done in any case is:
pulling out cotton wool with a crochet hook or any other sharp object - there is a high risk of puncture of the eardrum;- shake your head strongly, trying to shake the cotton wool out of your ear - you can damage the cervical vertebrae;
- try to get cotton wool from the child's ear using any metal objects - he can jerk sharply and the ear is injured;
- pour the cotton wool with oil or water so that it slips out - then it will be more difficult for the doctor to get it;
- trying to suck it out of your ear with a vacuum cleaner - it just doesn't work;
- use a toothpick to wind a cotton swab instead of a stick with a blunt end - almost always ends with a puncture of the tympanic membrane;
- specially make notches on a stick or a match so that the cotton swab better - scratches remain on the auricle, which can then be infected and cause serious inflammation and even suppuration.
pulling out cotton wool with a crochet hook or any other sharp object - there is a high risk of puncture of the eardrum;If it was not possible to easily and quickly get the cotton swab out of the ear using the safe methods listed above, then it is better not to experiment further and go to the doctor. Especially when it comes to a small child.
The specialist will do everything in a matter of seconds and absolutely painlessly. And inept hands can cause serious injury, after which additional treatment may be required. So is it worth the risk?
