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What Is Ear Wax and Why do Some of Us have too Much?
21 Apr 2019
Ed Wagner Founder/CEO Blue Echo Care
Ed Wagner Founder/CEO Blue Echo Care
The production of ear wax is a protective response our bodies have to keep detritus, bacteria, dust and yes, even bugs out of our ears. At 30 to 50 percent fat, it coats the outer and middle sections of the ear canal. Too little of it, and your ears can become dry, itchy, and prone to infection. Too much, and problems with hearing loss can arise. But why do some of us have so much more or less ear wax than others? Today we are going to talk a little about ear wax and why our bodies sometimes get out of sync with it.
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Little Hairs, Lots of Ear Wax
Ears are absolutely fascinating. Their ability to transmit vibrations into our brains which can be cognitively interpreted as sound almost seems magical. But most people don’t understand how this process actually works, much less understand what our bodies do to make sure these processes run smoothly. At the outer part of our ears, tiny hairs and skin glands work together to make sure the complex machinery of our ears don’t run into any problems. Like filters in the engines of our cars, these micro hairs and the ear wax secreted by these skin glands create a permeable barrier to protect the ears from the dangers of the outside world.
Unfortunately for some, injury can damage these glands that produce ear wax, which can result in too little or too much production, and for others, just plain genetics can be the culprit. Still others find they produce more ear wax as a response to use of hearing aids, ear plugs, or even common in-ear earbuds for music.
When too much ear wax is being produced, major discomfort can happen for that person, like hearing loss and dizziness. There are several different solutions on the market that can help with these hearing loss issues and several different products ranging from Q-tips, ear picks, and carbomide peroxide spray devices like the ones we sell on our website and are used in doctors’ offices. As we’ve mentioned before in previous blog posts, using Q-tips make impactions worse and are not recommended by most physicians.
