Cotton swab for ear cleaning? – No!

Earwax (technical term: cerumen) does not indicate a lack of hygiene. Also, how much earwax forms has nothing to do with personal hygiene. In addition, hearing aids can also promote the accumulation of earwax.

Earwax is a mixture of dust, dirt particles, sweat, dead skin cells, sebum and secretions from special glands. Fine hairs in the ear canal transport the earwax outwards towards the pinna. In addition, the secretion can serve as protection against bacterial and fungal infections.

This self-cleaning mechanism is destroyed by cotton swabs. If you poke around in the ear canal, some of the earwax is pushed even deeper into the ear. A plug develops, which can lead to earache and tinnitus. In the worst case, a cotton swab can puncture the eardrum - creating a hole, which is very painful.

In principle, "aids" such as hairpins, matches or paper clips do not belong in the ear for cleaning! As part of personal hygiene, a flannel, little finger or rinsing the ears with lukewarm water in the shower is sufficient to clean the ear canal.

For some people, however, the ear does not clean itself. With age, the earwax becomes firmer and is difficult to remove by itself. Self-cleaning is also difficult if the ear canals are particularly crooked. If the earwax in the ear canal is unpleasant, if you have the feeling of water in the ear or if you suddenly hear worse, you should have a professional ear cleaning (careful suction under the ear microscope) carried out by an ear, nose and throat specialist.