Ear wax - Treatments
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If you have a build-up of ear wax that doesn't go away on its own, you may need to use ear drops or you may need to have your ears syringed. These simple treatments are usually painless.
- Ear syringing usually helps to get rid of the ear wax, but it can have side effects. For example, it can cause infections in the outer part of your ear. Or the water squirted into your ear can damage your eardrum. But these problems are rare.
- Ear drops that contain wax softeners are often used to break up the ear wax.
- Your doctor may ask you to use a wax softener for a few days before your ears are syringed. But there hasn't been any good research to show that wax softeners help.
We've looked closely at the research and put the treatments for ear wax plugs into categories, according to whether they work.
Treatments that work but whose harms may outweigh the benefits
Ear syringing
There hasn't been any good research on whether ear syringing on its own works to get rid of ear wax that is blocking your ear (ear wax plugs). Even so, most doctors think that this treatment works well.
When you have your ears syringed a nurse or doctor squirts water into your ear through a tube. This usually weakens and moves the wax. You'll need to hold a small basin under your ear for the water and wax that will come out. It will probably take a few minutes for the plug to be moved.
One small study found that ear syringing removed ear wax in all the people treated.[1] Putting water in the ear for 15 minutes before syringing made the process much easier. People who had water in their ear before syringing needed to have much less water squirted into their ear for the wax to come out.
The water used is usually warm. But ear syringing can be uncomfortable and can make you feel dizzy.[2] It shouldn't be painful. Your nurse or doctor may have to stop the treatment and start again or ask you to come back.[3]
Ear syringing can have side effects. The common ones are:[4]
- An infection in your ear
- A split eardrum
- Damage to the skin around your ear
- Bleeding
- Pain.
Treatments that need further study
Removing wax with hooks or suction
If you've got too much wax in your ear, your doctor or nurse may try to remove it with a hook or another instrument. They may also try to clear your ear canal of wax by having it sucked out, using a treatment called micro-suction.
We didn't find any research on these treatments. But most doctors think that they work and can help some people with ear wax plugs.
We need more research before we can know for certain.
Wax softeners
There's some evidence that wax softeners used before ear syringing makes wax removal easier. But putting water in your ear seems to work just as well.[5]
Some brand names of ear drops you can buy are:
- Cerumol
- Exterol
- Molcer
- Otex
- Waxsol.
You can also use simple remedies such as olive oil, almond oil or sodium bicarbonate drops instead of the branded eardrops.[6]
There hasn't been much research to show that wax softeners help to break up ear wax, so that it's easier to remove or comes out on its own.
Three small studies have found that wax softeners can help to clear wax from the ears of both adults and children.[5] Some studies have also found that ear syringing was more likely to work in people who used a wax softener first.[5] [7] But better studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Other studies have found that water ear drops worked just as well as a softener.[5]
Wax softeners can sometimes irritate the skin in your ear.
References
- Pavlidis C, Pickering JA. Water as a fast acting wax softening agent before ear syringing. Australian Family Physician. 2005; 34: 303-304.
- Ogunleye AOA, Awobem AA. Trends in ear syringing in Ibadan, Nigeria. African Journal of Medical Sciences. 2004; 33: 35-37.
- Action on ENT Steering Board. Guidance in ear care. Available at http://www.entnursing.com/earcare.htm (accessed on 23 January 2008).
- Sharp JF, Wilson JA, Ross L, et al. Ear wax removal: a survey of current practice. BMJ. 1990; 301: 1251-1252.
- Hand C, Harvey I. The effectiveness of topical preparations for the treatment of earwax: a systematic review. British Journal of General Practice. 2004; 54: 862-867.
- British National Formulary. Removal of ear wax. September 2007. BNF 54. Section 12.1. British Medical Association and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Also available at http://www.bnf.org/bnf/bnf/54/5629.htm (accessed on 23 January 2008).
- Burton MJ, Doree CJ. Ear drops for the removal of ear wax. In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2007. Wiley, Chichester, UK.
Glossary
- infection
- You get an infection when an organism, such as a bacterium, a fungus or a virus gets into a part of your body where it shouldn't be. For example, an infection in your nose and airways causes the common cold. An infection in your skin can cause rashes such as athlete's foot. The organisms that cause infections are so tiny that you can't see them without a microscope.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2007. All rights reserved
This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
