Many of us use Q-Tips or cotton swabs in our daily routines.
They are often considered a part of personal hygiene. And one of the ways people commonly use them is to remove excess ear wax.
Yet, as gross as ear wax may be, it is actually really beneficial for our health and keeping our ears clean. And sometimes using Q-Tips to remove wax can cause more harm than good.
As you may or may not know, using Q-Tips in our ears can cause some problems. But does this include hearing loss? Below we answer the question “can Q-Tips cause hearing loss?” so you know the facts about this issue.
Can Q-Tips Cause Hearing Loss?
Yes, actually Q-Tips can cause hearing loss. And this is one of the reasons why using Q-Tips to often clean your ears can only do more harm than good.
Because of its shape, a cotton swab isn’t actually very effective at removing earwax from the ear canal. By inserting a cotton swab into the ear canal, you actually end up pushing the hardened ear wax further into the ear canal.
How Can Q-Tips Harm You?
This action of inserting a Q-Tip into the ear can damage the eardrum. This is what can cause hearing loss. Q tips have the potential to do the following:
- Injure your ear
- Cut your ear canal
- Create a hole in your eardrum
- Injure your fragile hearing bones
All of these could result in hearing loss, dizziness, ringing, and other symptoms of an ear injury.
More on Your Eardrum and Q-Tips
Because the eardrum is extremely delicate, you should avoid puncturing it with a cotton swab. To make matters worse, touching the eardrum may result in pressure being applied to the small bones beneath it.
Your ear bones include the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup (incus, malleus, and stapes). These are the tiniest bones in the body, and they are located directly beneath the eardrum.
Vibrations are sent into the inner ear when you press on those. As a result, if you tap on your eardrum, you will send shock waves into your inner ear, which can result in hearing and balance issues.
What if You Injure Your Ear with a Q-Tip?
Consult a medical professional immediately if you have been poking around in your ear and experience sudden pain, fluid leakage, tinnitus, or hearing loss.
You may be experiencing a perforated eardrum. This can become infected or heal improperly if you don’t treat it properly.
Now, let us take a look at proper ways to clean your ears properly.
How to Clean Your Eyes Safely
It is beneficial to do a thorough cleaning of the outer ear, also known as the pinna.
We recommend you shower, and gently apply a washcloth with mild soap to your ear. Slowly clean a bit into your ears.
But, in most cases, there is no need to clean the ear canal. The water that enters the ear canal during hair washing or showering is sufficient to loosen the accumulated wax.
Aside from that, the skin in your ear canal grows in an outward, spiral pattern. As it sloughs off, ear wax is expelled as well.
In most cases, while you are sleeping, the wax will loosen and fall out on its own, saving you from having to do anything.
If you need some extra help in safely getting rid of excess ear wax, try using over-the-counter ear cleaning drops.
So there you have it, more information whether Q-Tips can cause hearing loss!
The next time you experience a build up of wax in your ears, be sure you follow protocol for safe removal to avoid any permanent hearing damage. If anything gets progressively worse, be sure to see an audiologist to get things checked out.