Cotton buds cause ear bleeding?

Question

I live in Egypt. My 3 year old son just had an ear bleeding yesterday. I brought him to the doctor and he advice me not to use cotton bud as he said they already band from using cotton buds in America.

Is it true? If it is true, then how should we clean the ear wax?
I used to clean his ears with cotton buds everyday and I think yesterday I might have push it a little bit hard. But thank god it did not touch his ear drum. It just the outer part.

Answer 1

Cotton Swabs or 'bud' are NOT banned in America... your doctor is incorrect.

The packaging DOES say that you should not push them into the ear canal though...

Now... I use them on a regular basis, without problem. Don't go to far in... put warm water on them beforehand to soften the ear wax, and don't worry about it.

It's very rare to hear of an incident where a cotton swab has caused a child's ears to bleed... it sounds like it could be something different. If you can get a second opinion from a doctor, I would highly recommend it.

Answer 2

cleaning all the time is a bad idea. And cotton bud tend to push the ear wax deeper in. It might sounds gross, but my doctor rightly reminded me that the little finger is actually made for the job, if you have nails that is. it cups the wax out and does not push it in like cotton buds. As for your young son, it's probably better to leave it alone, the ear does not need to be cleaned that often, unless there is an ear infection. just clean the outside.

Answer 3

There is a conditon that can cause an ear infection in adults and children, called ear bud abuse. If you are cleaning his ears everyday it is way too much. The wax that is there prevents infections. If you are concerned about the ear wax getting too thick then take the child to a dr. to have it removed. You should never stick anything in a childs ear, you could rupture their ear drum very easily. Gently clean the outside with the cotton swab or warm wash cloth. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Let the wax build up for awhile until his ear fully heals. No ear buds for a few weeks!

When you clean out the ears with an ear bud (what we in America call a Q-Tip...) you should never enter the inner ear, only the outer areas....

Answer 5

Possible if the bud is not properly used but better still not to use it at all, especially with small kids. The best way to clean the ear wax is to use a spray which must be available at the local medical store. Anyway, check with your doc before you attempt anything like that.

Answer 6

Over here, we're warned to not go into the ear, as its very possible to slip and stab something in there.
However, not many people pay attention to it and still do it.

One of my friends works at a hospital and had a guy come in with one actually lodged deep in his ear... Something spooked him while he was doing that and shoved it right in there.

Be very very careful around ears. They are very sensitive. I think as long as you have a sterady hand and focus on what you're doing, you should be ok with a slight insertion cleaning... but the best thing to do is a squirt syringe and water to rinse it out. There's no chance of ear damage with that- but it does tickle like crazy.

Answer 7

Yes, they can cause ear bleeding.
You are not supposed to use them in any orifice, just on the skin, for example in the outside part of the ear, but never inside.
Besides, he can get an infection if he gets injured inside the ear.
You are not supposed to take the wax every day.
Just let it fall whenever the ear expulses it.

Answer 8

band from using cotton buds? i don't think so, you just have to make sure you're not going too deep.
i almost always have ear infections and my doctor thought this may be the problem, as it turns out, i just have ear infections all the time.
there may be some drops you can use to clean out the ear???

Answer 9

What is a cotton bud? Is it like a Q-tip/cotton swab?

Answer 10

You should not do it every day. Constant use can cause ear problems. You should only do that when it is really needed.