American Academy of Otolaryngology Updated Its Ear Cleaning Guidelines

The American Academy of Otolaryngology recently updated its ear cleaning guidelines.

(Mirror Daily, United States) – On Tuesday, the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery updated its ear cleaning guidelines to include a list of proper procedures. The update ear cleaning guidelines also include the objects we should avoid shoving in our ears to wipe out the excess cerumen.

For most of us, a shower or a bath are not complete without a thorough ear cleaning. Usually, we carry out this procedure using Q-Tips or ear sprays designed to clean away the wax from our ears. The trouble is that we consider that ear wax is synonymous to uncleanliness. Nothing could be further than the truth, and the updated ear cleaning guidelines prove that using the above-mentioned methods can produce more harm than good.

On behalf of the American Academy of Otolaryngology spoke Seth R. Schwartz, M.D., and the coordinator of the team in charge with the health updates. Schwartz declared that most of us think that ear wax is something abhorring and that we would go to great lengths in order to keep our ears clean.

In his many ears of practice, the team’s coordinator realized that human imagination has no boundaries when it comes to devising mind-boggling and potentially harmful ear cleaning techniques. When Q-Tips and ear sprays aren’t enough to get the job done, Schwartz stated, patients would not refrain from using toothpicks, keys, and even bent paper clips.

Needless to say that doctors are against these types of practices stating that using Q-Tips can further push the cerumen down the ear canal, resulting in permanent damage. Moreover, by using small and sharp objects such as toothpicks or paperclips, we risk perforating our eardrum, which can result in a permanent ear loss.

So, what’s the proper way to clean our ears without risking anything? The updated ear cleaning guidelines state that the proper way to remove extra cerumen from our ears is to use the thin end of a wet towel, preferably after a shower or bath.

By trying to clean out our ears using Q-Tips or other tools we risk moving it further down the ear’s canal. Excessive accumulation of cerumen can result in dizziness, ache, pressure, and hearing issues. Such accumulations can be solved using mineral oil, baby oil, or glycerin.

However, should these methods prove futile, you should immediately address your physician, which can clean out the excess cerumen using a low-pressure liquid pump.

Image source: Pixabay

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Tara Hamilton

Tara has graduated from the University of Oregon, with bachelors degree in Spanish Literature in 2010. She lived in Miami for one year and travelled extensively before settling down in El Paso.