Ear Cleaning (Aural Toilet)
Ear wax is normal, although the amount produced can vary from person to person.
Do not try to clean wax out of your ears with either fingers or cotton buds. This can just push the wax further down the canal and it can scratch and irritate the skin of the canal.
If you feel you have problems with excessive wax you can first try Ear Drops to soften the wax. You can buy olive oil ear drops from the pharmacy. You can use the drops 2-3 times per day to soften wax or just once every week or so to try and prevent wax building up. It is also useful to use drops before attending for irrigation.
If drops do not do the trick alone, you can book for irrigation (which used to be called “syringing”). A machine is used to gently squirt warm water into the ears at a certain pressure to dislodge the wax and wash it out.
You should not have ear syringing if you are known to have a perforated ear drum or if you have a current infection in the ear. If you are unsuitable for syringing, speak to your GP about having a referral for microsuction.