Please select the country or location you would like to see content from.
country picker icon
Close
Back
HomeShop
Healthwords
Cart
Search
Menu
condition icon

condition

Earwax

Written by Healthwords's team of doctors and pharmacists based in UK | Updated: 26.01.2023 | 2 min read
EmailFacebookPinterestTwitter

Earwax forms naturally inside your ears and acts as a defence barrier, protecting the ears from harmful substances and bacteria. It usually moves out of the ears gradually by the action of chewing and is harmless. However, sometimes it can build up and block the ears.

Doctor’s advice

What about cotton buds?

There is a rule in medicine that nothing smaller than your elbow should be placed in the ear – it's self-cleaning and you can cause damage. So avoid anything to clean inside the ear, including water or cotton buds.

Caidr pharmacists' top tips

Excess earwax removal treatment is readily available at the pharmacy. Caidr pharmacists' recommend first trying a milder treatment such as olive oil ear drops, or those containing arachis oil (derived from peanuts) which will help to soften the wax, encouraging it to come out gradually.

For harder or more stubborn wax, stronger treatments such as sodium bicarbonate ear drops, or Otex, can break down the wax more aggressively. If this fails after a trial of 2 weeks, the next step might be ear syringing or micro-suction.

When should I see my doctor?

If there is no improvement after a week or two of treatment, it is sometimes necessary to have the ears syringed and flushed out at the doctor's surgery. This can usually be done by your practice nurse and it is likely you will not need to see your doctor for it. Depending on your doctor's practice it may be done via suctioning the wax out or flushing it out with water. There are also private options available for treatment.

Am I fit for work?

You are fit for work if you have earwax.

Was this helpful?

Was this helpful?

EmailFacebookPinterestTwitter
Newsletter icon
Subscribe to our Newsletter
to get monthly notified about our latest health and wellness topics.
Subscribe
By clicking Subscribe, I agree to the Healthwords Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and understand that I may opt out of the newsletter subscription at any time.