are cotton swabs (q-tips) bad for your ears?

Question

I heard something about they compact your ear wax, is this true? should I be sticking anything into my ears?

Answer 1

It is said that you shouldn't stick anything in your ear that is smaller than your elbow.

My daughter just got scolded by the doctor for using q tips and compacting her ear wax. You can use q tips for cleaning the outer areas of your ears, but not for pushing inside the ear drum. To clean out your ear, stand in the shower and point your ear towards the water flow, while pulling down on your earlobe to help the warm water get inside your ear canal.

Answer 2

don't stick them in the ear canal as yes it will impact ear wax against your ear drum; Q tips are for the outer ear and basically thats it; there are solutions you can buy at pharmacies to remove ear wax or you can use a drop of peroxide (it will bubble and you will "hear" it but it should not be painful but it is annoying as heck) and you can also use regular white distilled vinegar; a drop in each ear, let it drain and it should clear the ear wax up. HOWEVER!! if you know that you have a hole in your eardrum... do not put ANY liquids into your ear with out first asking a doctor.

Answer 3

The rule of thumb is that you should never stick anything smaller than your elbow into your ear.

Yes, I know from personal experience that q-tips can compact your ear wax. I know for personal experience because I had to pay an unexpected doctor bill to have a chunk of wax that was completely blocking my ear canal removed because I originally attempted to use a q-tip to clean it out.

Go to the local pharmacy and get an ear wax kit. It consists of a bulb syringe for squirting a stream of water into your ear and some drops that gently loosen wax so it can be flushed out.

Answer 4

They will compact the ear wax. You could cause damage to the eardrum. Never stick any object into your ear. A doctor can clean them with a peroxide solution and water bulb.

Answer 5

They can be.
Ideally they can be used to mop up the junk that your ear *naturally* moves to the outside. If you stick swabs into the canal you risk pushing the wax, which is mostly cellular debris, back in and packing it down so it can't be moved easily by the natural action of the ear's cleaning mechanism. The other risk, if you go too deep, is damaging the eardrum or causing abrasions and possibly infection in the canal (otitis externa).

Answer 6

The reason people use Q-tips is because of an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality- they just shove the wax really far into their ears so it can't be seen and think that's good for them. Swimmer's ear also primarily comes from using Q-tips. Stop putting yourself at all kinds of risks and let your body do its stuff naturally! If you really want to get excess wax out, use mimikaki (a Japanese item similar to a miniature back scratcher that pulls the wax out instead of pushing it in- don't the Japanese seem think of everything?).

Answer 7

My doctor tells me that usually people are only pushing the wax further into your ear canal. Recently friends of ours found these ear candles. Heard of them? They sound kinda weird, but are so much fun! Below is a website on how they work. Once you're done and pull them out of your ears, the entire inside of the candle is full of all of the nasty wax and gunk in your ear. They are less than $3 a piece and can be found at most stores where therapy and spa products are sold. They are kinda weird...but I promise you will LOVE it if trying to clean your ears. :)

Answer 8

Yes, they are bad for your ears. I saw a special on TV and the doctor said Q-tips should be used for applying/removing make up, NOT for your ears. It can cause damage. Ask your doctor to clean your ears.

Answer 9

I was suprised that people get ear infection here in US. It's all about hygeine. I never got ear infection ever.You just need to clean your ears 2-3 times a week, not everyday. Wax is your prevention from small insects to get in your ears. Learning how to properly clean your ears can keep you from this infection.

Answer 10

I used to do that too. Evebtually I went to my ear nose and throat Dr. and he had to clean out my ears. It was quite painful. But he did tell me that your ears will clean themselves out, just use something to wash away the junk that you can see and not to use Q-tips. Let me tell you, after i went to him my hearing was so much better, the first couple of days crumpling of chip bags hurt my ears. Well, I hope this helps you.