Ear diseases

Ear wax plug

In the body of a healthy person, earwax is necessarily produced. This is a special type of hearing aid protection that nature has awarded us. A substance that is not very pleasant in appearance protects a person from pathogenic bacteria and other microorganisms, since they simply do not live in it. It "pushes" foreign objects, dead cells and dirt from the ears, moisturizes the skin. However, in some cases, the "defender" turns into an "enemy" - this happens when a sulfur plug forms in the ear.

Causes of occurrence

Previously, a person did not clean his ears at all, since sulfur did not accumulate in more quantities than needed. Over time, it turned into small lumps and fell out of the ear when the jaws moved. However, now dustiness and air pollution have increased the formation of sulfur, and its presence in the auricles has become a sign of bad taste. Therefore, people began to actively remove it. But they do it wrong, that's why plugs appear in the ears. They can also be provoked by other factors, such as:

  • genetic predisposition;
  • active hair growth in the ear canal;
  • insufficient air humidity;
  • accumulation of microparticles of cement, flour, etc in the air;
  • anatomical features such as excessive tortuosity or narrowness of the ear canal;
  • inflammatory processes in the ears.

Poor hygiene is a major factor

Everyone's favorite and well-known cotton swabs are what causes sulfur plugs in the ears in the first place. The thing is that we use them for other purposes. These products are designed so that a person can apply various liquids, for example, brilliant green or iodine, without getting their hands dirty. But for cleaning the auditory canals, they are not at all suitable. Using such products, we push the sulfur into the ear, only a small part of it remains on the cotton wool, everything else is safely rammed closer to the eardrum.

Due to the daily use of cotton swabs, a plug in the ears most often appears. It can have a different consistency. In most cases, the ear wax plug does not fill the entire ear canal, but sometimes complete obturation of the lumen is also observed.

This can cause unpleasant symptoms in a person:

  • ear congestion;
  • hearing loss;
  • autophony, when your own voice is heard by the affected ear;
  • involuntary cough;
  • dizziness;
  • nausea.

How to avoid

People who know firsthand what a plug in the ear is and how to remove it prefer to prevent such phenomena. To prevent sulfur from accumulating in the ear canal, ear plugs are prevented. Follow these simple rules:

  1. Keep an eye on the humidity in the rooms where you spend a lot of time. The optimal indicator is 50-70%. If it is lower, install a humidifier to avoid dry congestion.
  2. Do not spend a lot of time in too dusty rooms, as the ingress of microparticles into the ear canal can provoke excessive accumulation of sulfur.
  3. Do not clean the ear canal with cotton swabs, these devices are only suitable for removing wax from the auricle. To maintain hygiene, it will be enough to wash your ears with soapy water every time you take a shower with your fingers, then dry your skin thoroughly with a towel.
  4. If you are worried that a wax plug in your ears may appear at any time, you can use 3% hydrogen peroxide. It needs to be instilled into the ear canal. This agent oxidizes sulfur and dissolves it; after the procedure, the ear must be thoroughly dried with gauze turunda.
  5. Many are interested in whether the sulfuric plug can come out on its own? It is quite possible if a few drops of sesame oil are dripped into the ear canal at night. You need to carry out such a procedure alternately on each ear, and go to bed so that the liquid does not leak out. Just 2 hours of exposure to the oil will cause the plug to rise to the top of the ear canal, and in the morning you can simply clean it off with a piece of cotton wool.
  6. Prevention of ear plugs is also carried out by pharmaceutical hygiene products - cerumenolytics. They are used according to the instructions. However, you should not get carried away with such cleaning, one procedure in several months is enough.

In conclusion

You can find out what an ear plug is, and how it manifests itself, from your own experience - no one is immune from this unpleasant phenomenon. However, it is within our power to do everything so that an excessive amount of sulfur does not accumulate in the ear canal and does not interfere with normal life. Prevention and proper hygiene are the key to keen hearing and great well-being.