At first glance, ears seem like an uncontroversial topic.
Unlike washing your legs (or takingregular showers), there arent manyinternet argumentsabout the subject.
How to clean ears, however, is where things get interesting.
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Do you even need to clean your ears?
Your ears are more than just earring display cases and hosts for the occasionalpimple.
When you think about your ears, you probably think of the outer ear.
It may be hard to believe, but earwax is your friend.
You really dont have to do a whole lot, Dr. Chang previously explained.
You also clean your ears a bit just by living your life.
Through chewing and talking, the ear auto-cleans, he explains.
Keep reading to learn how to clean your ears without making them very, very mad at you.
Heres how to clean your ears safely on your own.
Dr. Voigt recommends cleaning your ears when youre in the shower, using gentle soap and water.
When yourewashing your hair, you might clean [your ears] with a washcloth, he says.
Specifically, you could wipe down the pinna, which encompasses those outer ear folds and your earlobe.
You should also hit behind your ears.
But the outer ear canal isnota part of the ear that you should clean, Dr. Voigt says.
Because going rogue this way can cause a host of complications.
You might push earwax farther into your ear, which can cause an earwax blockage.
This happens when the sticky stuff accumulates or hardens and your body cant discard it naturally, theMayo Clinicexplains.
This is called a perforated eardrum.
Both of these things can mess with your hearing, BTW.
After youre done cleaning your ears?
Just dry [them] with yourtowel, Dr. Voigt says.
Again, Dr. Voigt emphasizes staying away from your ear canal.
Here are some tips to remember when cleaning your ears.
Yup, were going to say it again for good measure:Earwaxisnt the enemy!
In addition to protecting your ears from dust and dirt, Its a waterproof agent, Dr. Voigt says.
You need some wax in your ears to keep yourself healthy.
Keep this in mind when youre tempted to rid your ears of wax completely.
There are more than a few things to avoid when cleaning your ears.
Dont stick anythingin your earwithout consulting your provider first.
Using them to remove earwax actually pushes wax farther into your ear, theMayo Clinicexplains.
So what should you do with all those cotton swabs?
People also use those cotton tip applicatorsto apply makeupor to clean other areas of their face.
But they should not be stuck into [your ear canal].
Yes, you read that right: an elbow.
Ear candling is a technique that involves using a cone-shaped lit candle to remove earwax, theMayo Clinicsays.
The heat from the candle is supposed to suction the earwax so that it sticks to the candle.
Ive also seen the wax heated and slide down onto the eardrum, he adds.
Cleaning your ears incorrectly can cause serious complications.
We keep emphasizing how bad it is to stick items in your ears because self-cleaning can increase earwax blockages.
Trust us; its not.
Heres when to see a doctor for ear-related concerns.
Contact your doctor instead of trying to handle it yourself.
You should also see your doctor if youre dealing with symptoms of a perforated eardrum.
There are often pretty dramatic, immediate results, Dr. Voigt says.
You might have immediate relief of the pressure, he explains.
[You] can hear incredibly well.
In most cases, the entire procedure can be done in a few minutes.
Your ears will be clog-free, but Dr. Voigt says to be careful.
People often turn the volume way up to compensate for their wax-induced diminished hearing, he says.
Once your blockage is removed, you’ve got the option to probably tone things down a bit.
Whatever you do, leave deep wax removal to the pros.
