What is the best thing to use for a block ear (impacted wax buildup)?!
Question:
What is the best thing to use for a block ear (impacted wax buildup)?
Answers:
Self Treatment For Earwax
Most cases of earwax blockage respond to home treatments used to soften wax if there is no hole in the eardrum. Patients can try placing a few drops of mineral oil, baby oil, glycerin, or commercial ear wax removal drops, such as Debrox®, Mack's® Wax AwayTM, Murine®, or Physicians' ChoiceTM in the ear. These remedies are not as strong as the prescription wax softeners but are effective for many patients. Rarely, people have allergic reactions to commercial preparations. Detergent drops such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide may also aid in the removal of wax. Patients should know that rinsing the ear canal with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) results in oxygen bubbling off and water being left behind-wet, warm ear canals make good incubators for growth of bacteria. Flushing the ear canal with rubbing alcohol displaces the water and dries the canal skin. If alcohol causes severe pain, it suggests the presence of an eardrum perforation.
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Ear Wax Maintenance
First, one should realize that wax isn't all that bad. It keeps your ear dry and helps prevent infection. So, you don't want to eliminate wax, but just keep it from blocking your ear.
How can one keep wax from blocking the ear ? There are several methods.
One method is to put baby oil or olive oil into the ear on a regular basis. Put in the drops, let it sit in there for a few minutes, then lie down on a towel to let it drip out again. Probably only a few drops every week in each ear is good enough (nobody has done a research study on this). It doesn't hurt to put a few drops of clean olive oil or baby oil into each ear every day. Swimmers often do this prior to their daily swim. However, be sure that the oil is clean, as you don't want to introduce bacteria. This should not be done if you have an eardrum perforation or if you don't know whether or not you have a perforation.
Another method is to have your ear cleaned out by your doctor on a regular basis. Everyone builds up wax at their own rate, but commonly people need to come back for wax removal at 6 month or 1 year intervals.