You may have heard that cotton swabs or Q-tips are not recommended to use in your ears. In fact, using cotton swabs may lead to impacted cerumen (ear wax) by pushing the wax deeper into the auditory canal.

If you’re considering other alternatives like ear candling, don’t do it!

According to the basic laws of physics, ear candling doesn’t work. First, there’s just no way for a candle to generate the type of pressure differential needed to extract cerumen from the auditory canal. Second, producing that kind of pressure differential would require a complete seal of the entrance of the auditory canal, which doesn’t occur during candling. Third, tolerable heat from the candle is not enough to melt cerumen out of the canal.

Ear candling is unsafe. You may burn yourself or set your hair on fire.

Listen! Cerumen has a purpose. It is meant to keep foreign objects from entering the ears. Leave your ears alone. If you think you have ear wax build-up, consult your doctor.

Do your ears feel clogged? Is your hearing muffled? Call us at 671 989 TEST today for more information. #guamhearingdoctors

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