Doctors Warn Do Not Use Cotton Buds To Clean Inside Your Ears
Doctors are putting out the warning again, telling kids and parents do not use cotton buds to clean inside your ears.
Based on a study by Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that over 20 years, more than a quarter-million children had to be treated for ear injuries caused by cotton-tip applicators, about 34 injuries every day.
He added that it can cause dizziness and damage to the eardrum which could cause permanent hearing loss.
Meanwhile, AAO Head and Neck Surgery strongly advise their patients not to put anything inside the ear, including “cotton swabs, hairpins, car keys, toothpicks, or other things.”
They remind overzealous cleaners that these can all injure the ear and may cause a cut in the ear canal, poke a hole in the eardrum, or hurt the hearing bones, leading to hearing loss, dizziness, ringing, and other symptoms of ear injury.
While doctors definitely recommend avoiding using cotton buds, syringes, or ear candles inside the ear, they encourage people to use less invasive methods of keeping their ears clean.
Ordinarily, most people’s ears do a very good job of regulating themselves without any help.
The normal actions of talking and chewing, as well as skin growth within the ear canal, is enough to push out old earwax to be washed off in the shower or bathtub.
There is, however, such a thing as having too much earwax, especially when it becomes impacted, preventing the ears’ normal expulsion process and hearing.
In this case, the last thing you want to do is go in with cotton buds, as this will only push the blockage further, potentially causing serious damage.
Instead, doctors recommend safer options like using droppers with mineral oils or hydrogen peroxide to soften blockages before having them professionally flushed with warm water.
Another safe way to minimize unsightly but harmless earwax is to regularly clean your outer ears in the shower with soap and water.
Once again, don’t go overboard and start sticking things inside.
If your ears are giving you real trouble, don’t delay and go to your doctor as soon as possible.
“The ear is designed to self-clean, and propel wax the outside of the ear. So when a cotton-tip applicator is blindly pushed into the ear canal, that wax gets pushed deeper towards the eardrum where it can’t get out on its own,” Dr. Kris Jatana of the Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology at Nationwide Children's Hospital said.
He added that it can cause dizziness and damage to the eardrum which could cause permanent hearing loss.
Meanwhile, AAO Head and Neck Surgery strongly advise their patients not to put anything inside the ear, including “cotton swabs, hairpins, car keys, toothpicks, or other things.”
They remind overzealous cleaners that these can all injure the ear and may cause a cut in the ear canal, poke a hole in the eardrum, or hurt the hearing bones, leading to hearing loss, dizziness, ringing, and other symptoms of ear injury.
While doctors definitely recommend avoiding using cotton buds, syringes, or ear candles inside the ear, they encourage people to use less invasive methods of keeping their ears clean.
Ordinarily, most people’s ears do a very good job of regulating themselves without any help.
The normal actions of talking and chewing, as well as skin growth within the ear canal, is enough to push out old earwax to be washed off in the shower or bathtub.
There is, however, such a thing as having too much earwax, especially when it becomes impacted, preventing the ears’ normal expulsion process and hearing.
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In this case, the last thing you want to do is go in with cotton buds, as this will only push the blockage further, potentially causing serious damage.
Instead, doctors recommend safer options like using droppers with mineral oils or hydrogen peroxide to soften blockages before having them professionally flushed with warm water.
Another safe way to minimize unsightly but harmless earwax is to regularly clean your outer ears in the shower with soap and water.
Once again, don’t go overboard and start sticking things inside.
If your ears are giving you real trouble, don’t delay and go to your doctor as soon as possible.
Source: Health Check
Doctors Warn Do Not Use Cotton Buds To Clean Inside Your Ears
Reviewed by Yen The Explorer
on
December 05, 2019
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Reviewed by Yen The Explorer
on
December 05, 2019
Rating:
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