Dr. Hazenfield -- Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor in Hawaii

Healthy Ears

Hugh N. Hazenfield, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Your ears require very little maintenance.   However, since you only have two of them, here are some hints to protect and keep those two healthy:

• NEVER use cotton-tipped applicators (such as Q-tips™) in your ears!  Cerumen, or ear wax, is natural, lubricates the canal, catches dirt particles, and naturally moves itself and debris to the outside.

  • If you remove the cerumen, your ears will most likely become itchy.

  • Using applicators in the ear canal can push the wax deeply into the canal creating even more difficult removal, scratch the canal with resulting infection, tear the skin of the canal with bleeding, or even perforate or tear the ear drum.

  • If children see adults using applicators in their ears, they mimic the adults, using them in their own ears -- often with serious injuries!

  • To clean the wax:

    • Clean the cerumen from the outer ear canal with a moist washcloth wrapped around your finger.

    • Provided there is not a perforation or hole in the ear drum, limited use of wax removal drops or hydrogen peroxide in the ear as well as allowing warm shower water to enter the canal will help soften and remove the wax.

  • Other:

    • I do not recommend cerumen removal with a bulb syringe.  Its tip may scratch the canal, starting an infection of the skin of the outer ear canal.

    • Never "candle" your ear.  This has been proved totally ineffective and sometimes dangerous.  You may also have to visit a physician to remove the residue from your ear.

  • If the wax does not come out of your ear easily, see your physician.

• Avoid loud sounds

• Exposure to loud music, fireworks, firearms, motorcycles, aircraft, power tools, and other sources of loud sound may cause permanent nerve-type hearing loss - even with one exposure! 

• Tinnitus, or ringing in the ear, often accompanies such loss and is also often permanent. 

• When exposed to loud noise, always wear adequate approved ear protection.

• Keep children away from such sounds; they can permanently lose their hearing, too.

• Ringing in the ear(s) or tinnitus often is due to hearing loss, especially in the high notes.   Hearing your own pulse may indicate a more serious problem, including a blood vessel tumor.  See an otolaryngologist for evaluation and treatment.

• You may get your ears wet

• Assuming you do not have an outer ear infection or a perforation of the ear drum, clean water entering the ear canal generally does no harm.

• Here in Hawaii, if the ocean water appears murky after a rainfall, it is dirty due to run-off containing animal droppings from the mountain streams.  For many reasons, including the health of your ears, stay out!

• Some ear plugs may actually either scratch the canal or entrap water deep in the canal leading to infection.  For most people, they are not useful.

• Effective ear plugs may be fashioned from bubble gum (chewed) or Silly Putty™.  Whether using these or purchased silicone ear plugs, do not insert into the canal; just mold into the concha or shell of the outer ear.

• Ear pain may not be due to the ear itself. 

  • Other conditions, such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease, Eustachian tube dysfunction, tumors in the throat behind the nose, or referred pain from tumors or infections in the throat or voice box may cause pain in the ear.

  • If you have ear pain, see your physician or an otolaryngologist.

• Recurrent ear infections or fluid in the middle ear in children can cause permanent damage to the ears and hearing. 

  • If your child's infections occur frequently or your child's doctor informs you that there is a long-standing fluid collection in the middle ear, ask him or her for a referral to an otolaryngologist.