Ear wax (or cerumen) in moderate amounts is healthy. It serves as a protectant for your ears, just as eyelashes protect your eyes. A combination of ear hairs, outward migration of the skin in the canal, and jaw movement serve as a natural cleaner of the canal. The aging process often changes the shape of the canal to a slim oval which can also cause wax to build up.
As well, hearing aids can block the wax from making its way out of the canal. Use of Q-tips can push the cerumen further into the canal where it can no longer come out on its own. Remember: never put anything smaller than your elbow into your ear canal! Use of mineral oil, olive oil, or even Colace may be used to soften cerumen before removal, but only if there is certainty that the eardrum is intact.
There are three methods a regulated health care professional will use to remove excessive ear wax:
1. Instrumentation: wax is removed using a curette;
2. Suction: wax is removed using a mini vacuum (safest and most preferred by clients);
3. Irrigation: flushing with water.
NOTE: Ear candling is not a recommended method for cerumen removal.