Ear Wax

Ear wax is an oily substance in the outer ear canal whose role is to lubricate the skin of the canal, trap foreign bodies and generally acts as a barrier. The ear canal is normally self cleansing but sometimes this does not happen and this leads to wax build up.

The symptoms include – hearing loss, mild pain, feeling of fullness or as if there is water in the ear and tinnitus.

GPs or experienced nurses can irrigate the ear but sometimes an ENT has to perform micro suctioning with the use of a microscope. This is especially indicated if the ear canal is very narrow, the wax is too much, there is an infection present or the patient had previous surgery like a tympanoplasty or grommets are present.