How to understand that you have a sulfuric plug in your ear, and how to get rid of it

Earache and hearing loss can be caused by a dozen reasons. The most popular among them is sulfur plug.

What is earwax?

Earwax is part of the natural ear protection mechanism, resembles Life hacker. So called a substance that produce sulfur glands located in the skin of the ear canal. It is mixed with dead skin cells, and the result is a yellowish sticky substance, which consists of keratin - it is up to 60%, fatty acids and alcohols - up to 20%, cholesterol - up to 9%.

This compound makes sulfur an ideal defense against external invasion. Substance has the following properties:

• antibacterial - due to fatty alcohols and acids, creating an unbearable environment for microbes;
• water repellent - all the same fatty acids are responsible for this;
• moisturizing - oily layer protects the skin of the ear canal from drying out;
• catching - sticky texture of sulfur retains dirt, insects, even fungi and bacteria that accidentally fell into the ear.

Normally, sulfur with all the “intruders” caught by it is removed from the ear on its own. This is due to the movements of the temporomandibular joint when we are chewing or talking. She slowly moves to the exit from the ear canal and eventually falls out of it (by the way, this is the reason why you should regularly wash your ear).

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However, this is not always the case.

Where does the sulfuric plug come from

Here are some common reasons for which sulfur clots up and turns into a traffic jam.

• Increased sulfur production. The average ear produces about 20 mg of earwax per month. But some people have more. Such amount is harder to bring out naturally, sulfur accumulates and breaks into a ball.
• Swimming. In some people, the water in their ears irritates the ear canal and causes it to produce more sulfur.
  Too narrow auditory passages. This is an individual, genetically determined feature, as a result of which even a normal amount of sulfur can block the auditory canal.
• Hair overgrown ear canals. The hairs prevent the sulfur from naturally moving towards the exit.
• Skin diseases. For example, eczema. Because of it, the sulfur produced in the ears becomes more dry and hard, it is harder to remove.
• Elderly age. Over the years, earwax also becomes more solid and dry.
• Hearing Aids. Incorrectly chosen instruments (for example, sitting too tight in the auditory canal) contribute to the formation of traffic jams for two reasons. First, they stimulate the production of sulfur. Secondly, interfere with its natural removal.
• The habit of poking around in the ears. A finger or a cotton swab is not so important. "Cleaning" the ears, you actually push the sulfur that has almost left back, deep into the ear canal, and even tamping it down.

How to understand that you have a cork in your ear

Symptoms of sulfuric cork are not too many:

• hearing impairment in the ear where the stopper has formed;
• feeling of stuffiness;
• slight itching;
• possibly ringing or noise in the ear;
• sometimes there is pain that quickly passes.

These signs suggest that it is the cork in the ear, and not some other, more unpleasant process.

Consider: if you observe other symptoms — for example, fever, or severe pain that drags on for hours, or severe dizziness, or nausea — this is a direct indication for a visit to the otolaryngologist. Such symptoms may indicate otitis or inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx. To avoid complications, including hearing loss, such diseases should be treated under medical supervision.

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How to get rid of cork in the ear

If you are sure that we are talking about a sulfuric plug, and not about a more serious disease, try to cope with it at home.

1. Chew actively

Chewing gum, or just work jaws. Joints will help push the cork to the exit. Or at least change its shape: it will help relieve the pain caused by the difference in pressure before and after a traffic jam.

2. Use ear drops from traffic jams

The composition of pharmaceutical drops from the plugs include substances that help soften and remove sulfur (for example, allantoin). Use drops in accordance with the instructions.

If pharmacy tools are not on hand, you can use home:

• hydrogen peroxide;
• almond, olive, baby oil;
• glycerol;
• camphor or petroleum jelly, heated in a water bath to body temperature.

Lie with your head turned so that the injured ear is pointing up, drop 2 – 3 drops of the product and stay in that position for a couple of minutes. Then rise and tilt your head so that oil or liquid can flow out. Repeat this procedure twice a day until the cork disappears. This can take up to two weeks.

Attention! You can bury your ears only if you are sure that you do not have a ruptured eardrum.

3. Consult an otolaryngologist

This is the fastest and most effective way. The doctor will rinse the ear or (if washing for some reason is contraindicated) remove the cork with a special probe with a hook. Such manipulations take just a few minutes.

What not to do if you have a cork in your ear

1. Brush your ear with a finger or a cotton swab.

In this way, you risk aggravating the situation by making the cork even more dense and pushing it deeper into the ear canal.

2. Self-medicate when there are other symptoms

This is fraught with serious complications. At a temperature or acute pain that does not go away, be sure to contact Laura.

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