Did you know that earwax is not really wax? Confusing right? Well, here are some other interesting facts about earwax!
1. Earwax (cerumen) becomes harder and more prevalent with age. Children typically have wetter and softer earwax which is much easier to remove. In comparison, older adults tend to have drier and harder earwax which often requires earwax softening drops to remove.
2. The wet and dry forms of earwax appear to be genetically determined. Just like the color of your eyes, researchers tell us that the gene responsible for wet or dry wax is located on Chromosome # 16. The gene that determines the wet, sticky variety is thought to be a dominant gene. The wet form is more common in Caucasians and African Americans and the dry form is more common in Asians and Native Americans.
3. There is no difference in the amount of wax production between males and females.
4. Earwax can be more of an issue if you suffer from eczema and seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff).
5. Earwax removal is the most common procedure performed by primary care doctors in their offices.
6. Earwax (cerumen) impaction occurs in approximately 10% of children, 5% of normal healthy adults, and disproportionately up to 65% of patients over 60.
7. Water is a good earwax-softening drop. One clinical study demonstrated that cerumenolytic (earwax softeners) drops effectively soften earwax but did not find any significant difference among the more popular brands. In fact, none were superior to plain tap water.
8. Baking Soda Solution can dissolve earwax.
9. Immediate ear irrigation alone without any pretreatment with earwax softening drops was found to be effective in 70–75% of cases. Use of a cerumenolytic agent 15-30 minutes before irrigation can increase that percentage to as high as 97%. The use of eardrops is most effective in elderly patients who tend to have harder earwax. Most children do not need cerumenolytics.
10. Earwax buildup is greater and more of a problem in hearing aid wearers and earbud users. In-the-ear hearing aids and earbuds tend to block the normal extrusion of wax from the ear canal. In addition, these devices seem to stimulate the ear to produce greater amounts of wax. The use of Qtips is also another common cause of earwax buildup and impaction. They push the wax further into the ear rather than remove it.
11. Impacted earwax (cerumen) can cause a variety of symptoms including itching, pain, hearing loss, ring-in-the-ears, a cough, dizziness and increased infection risk.
Do you have any other interesting facts to share, or questions to ask the Wax B Gone team?