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Ear Wax
Ear wax is a oily substance in the outer ear canal which function 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, tinnitus.
GPs or experiences nurses can irrigate the ear but sometimes and ENT has to perform micro suctioning under a microscope – 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 still present.