What are the symptoms and causes of earwax blockage?

Ears feeling a little full? Unable to hear as well as you could a few days ago?

These could all be signs of earwax blockage. This is when wax builds up in your ear and hardens, making it difficult for your ear to simply self-clean the way it usually does.

Earwax is usually a help for your body as it prevents the overgrowth of bacteria in your ear by cleaning and lubricating it, but too much of it needs to be dealt with.

Read on to find out more about the symptoms and causes of earwax blockage.

Signs and symptoms of earwax blockage can include some or all of the following:

A dull earache
Ringing in the ear (also known as tinnitus)
A full feeling
Reducing hearing
A feeling of dizziness

If you’re experiencing these signs, it is worth getting it checked out sooner rather than later. While you may think earwax is easy enough to deal with yourself, you need a doctor to look inside your ear first and establish that it is, in fact, earwax. These may even be symptoms of another ear condition, so the root cause needs to be investigated before you begin treatment.

How can earwax buildup and blockage be treated?

To get the wax removed from the ear, you can get ear syringing or micro suction from a medical professional. Don’t try doing this at home as it could lead to further complications. All you need to do is lubricate your ear with olive oil for a couple of days before your appointment so it is more comfortable and more easily removed.

What are the causes of earwax blockage?

Earwax is useful for us as it protects our eardrums and inner ear from any dust or other particles making their way inside. Usually, the ear rids itself of earwax itself, with a small amount at a time falling out or being washed off at the ear’s opening.

Earwax blockage occurs when an excess amount of wax is produced in our ear, or if our earwax doesn’t clear itself properly. It can then build up and end up blocking your ear canal.

Another cause of earwax that is self inflicted is when people insert cotton buds into their ear to try and clean it. This has the opposite effect of pushing the wax deeper and deeper into the ear and results in a blockage. So step away from the cotton buds and let your ears clean themselves as they usually do quite effectively.

At Duality Health, we offer ear syringing and ear micro suction services to remove earwax buildup. You can book an appointment using our simple online booking form.