Ear plugs

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Ear plug

The main function of earwax is to protect the ear canal. Earwax prevents dust or other small particles from getting into the eardrum. But, despite its protective functions, excess wax must be periodically removed - since it is they that contribute to the formation of ear plugs.

Table of contents:

Ear plugs negatively affect hearing and can sometimes cause headaches.

Causes of ear plug

The main reason for the formation of ear plugs is the use of cotton swabs to clean the ears, with which, in essence, we press the wax back into the ear and compact it tightly in the area of ​​​​the eardrum. A large amount of wax on a cotton swab when cleaning the ear canals is not proof of clean ears. Only the liquid component of the earwax gets onto the cotton swab, and the denser structures “settle” firmly in the ear.

Most people have ear plugs. They don’t bother many people, but only until a certain time.

Initially, when an ear plug forms, the ear canal is not completely blocked. The person feels great and hears well. But this situation may worsen for several reasons:

  • another cleaning of the ears with a cotton swab (at the same time, the plug in the ear becomes more and more compact)
  • water getting into the ear (the plug in the ear swells and completely blocks the ear canal). This can result in significant hearing loss.

Photo: location of the plug

Symptoms of an ear plug

The fact that an ear plug is actually present can be determined by several symptoms:

  • decreased hearing perception,
  • the appearance of tinnitus,
  • in some cases, dizziness, cough, nausea or vomiting, and headache.

Normal hearing is not an indicator of the purity of the ear canals. If there is even a small hole between the walls of the ear canal and the ear plug, then the symptoms of an ear plug may not be observed at all. They can suddenly appear if water gets into the ears - under the influence of water, the plug swells and completely blocks the ear canal. Water ingress may cause short-term ear congestion not related to the plug, but if the discomfort does not disappear over time, you should consult a doctor.

Treatment of ear plugs

You should not self-medicate, since removing an ear plug without harm to health is not easy. There is a high risk of damage to the eardrum. Therefore, removal of an ear plug should be performed exclusively by qualified doctors who are well versed in the technology of treating ear plugs.

The removal of an ear plug is based on the principle of rinsing, when a pulsating stream of water is directed into the ear canal along the back wall. As a result, the ear plug comes out of the ear canal along with the water flowing out of the ear. There are cases where this procedure is not effective in clearing ear plugs. Therefore, the second option may be to instill drops of sodium bicarbonate heated to 37 degrees for 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the ear plug. After which the procedure of rinsing the ear with water is repeated.

As independent measures to prevent ear plugs and remove wax, use a damp cotton swab, a heating pad or special solvent-based drops.

Use a cotton swab to clean only the outer ear. However, it should not be very wet - excess moisture can cause pain or irritation of the ear.

Using a moderately hot heating pad, you can pull out the wax plug from the ear canal. To do this, you need to lie on a heating pad with the sore ear. Under the influence of heat, the wax softens and actively begins to leave the ear. You can use a hot water bottle instead of a heating pad.

Also, home treatment for ear plugs can be based on the use of solvents based on carbamide peroxide, which are capable of dissolving sulfur (Debrox, Auro, E-Z-0, etc.) The maximum period for using these drugs is 5 days . If symptoms do not go away, you need to consult a specialist.

Diagnosis by symptoms

Find out your probable illnesses and which doctor you should go to.

Source: http://www.diagnos.ru/diseases/lorr/probka

Ear plug: types, symptoms and removal methods

Ear plugs are a common problem among people of different age groups. This phenomenon occurs especially often in children. If they are not removed, they can cause undesirable consequences.

Therefore, if you have symptoms of ear plugs, it is advisable to contact a specialist - an otolaryngologist, who will quickly and effectively help you get rid of such formations.

Ear plug - description and types

Ear plugging is the formation of a large amount of compacted wax in the ear.

A plug is an accumulation in the ear canals of the protective substance of the hearing organ - sulfur, which occurs as a result of the work of the glands located in the ears. It can be of different colors, densities and compositions.

The ear can be cleared of wax masses spontaneously with jaw movements. However, for certain reasons, sulfur stops leaving and begins to accumulate, forming a plug.

Depending on the consistency and shades, the following types of plugs are distinguished:

  • Pasty - has a yellowish color and is characterized by soft formation.
  • Plasticine-like - this cork is brown in color and its consistency resembles plasticine.
  • Dry - is a hard plug, firmly adjacent to the walls of the ear canals. The color of this formation is very dark.
  • Epideromidal is a plug that is difficult to remove due to its density, almost rocky. Contains sulfur with parts of the epidermis, possible impurities of purulent discharge. Often provokes an inflammatory process in the ears.

The accumulation of wax in the ear canals contributes to hearing loss and serious complications. If the plugs are dense and hard, then their removal is difficult.

Symptoms of having an ear plug

Pain and noise in the ears, dizziness and hearing loss are signs of ear plugs

Most often, a plug of wax in the ears is an asymptomatic phenomenon. However, the following signs may indicate the occurrence of wax formations in the ears:

  • Bad hearing
  • Tinnitus (like rustling or pulsating)
  • Painful sensations in the ear canals
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
  • Feelings of the impact of your own voice - autophony

Often the traffic jam can be seen even with the naked eye. To do this, you need to pull the auricle a little and look inside. If lumps of wax are visible, this indicates the presence of a plug.

Sometimes the following symptoms may occur:

In very rare cases, problems with the cardiovascular system appear. This phenomenon occurs when the wax formation is located near the nerve endings of the eardrum.

It is important to note that the formation of traffic jams does not always reduce auditory perception.

This fact is explained by the fact that there may be even small gaps between the wax mass and the ear canal. However, when water gets in, the plug swells and this leads to stuffy ears. If the pressure of the plug is strong, psycho-emotional disorder and neuralgic pathologies may appear. If you have symptoms of ear plugs, you should consult an otolaryngologist.

Reasons for the formation of sulfur plugs

There are many factors that can cause ear plugs to form.

There are several causes of earwax buildup. The main ones are:

  • Increased secretion of glands that produce sulfur. When the sulfur mass does not have time to clean itself, it tends to accumulate in the ear canals. Increased functioning of the glands can be provoked by pathologies such as dermatitis, sinusitis, chronic otitis media, and eczema.
  • Improper cleaning of the ear. When using cotton swabs, sulfur particles are pushed into the middle of the passage and compacted, forming a plug.
  • Anatomical features of the ear structure. Usually, plugs form in people with a tortuous and narrow ear canal. Certain structural features of the ears are also predisposed to the accumulation of wax secretions.
  • Another factor in the frequent occurrence of traffic jams is the increased viscosity of sulfur emissions. Genetic predisposition plays a significant role in periodic accumulations of sulfur.

There are also factors that contribute to the development of pathology:

  • Frequent use of headphones
  • Increased dust levels at work or place of residence
  • Increased hair growth inside the ear canal
  • Tendency to otitis media
  • Past infectious and inflammatory diseases
  • Reduced or increased air humidity
  • Elderly age
  • Presence of foreign objects in the ear canals
  • Using a hearing aid
  • Increased blood cholesterol
  • Getting water into your ears while swimming

Having knowledge about the causes of ear plugs, in some cases you can prevent their formation or reduce the frequency of their occurrence.

Treatment methods

Irrigation is the most effective method for removing ear plugs.

To determine the plugs in the ears, you need to contact an ENT specialist. The doctor will first listen to the patient's complaints. Afterwards, he will carry out an examination procedure using special instruments - an otoscope or an ear funnel. If a plug is present, it will be visible.

But sometimes, in order to verify the presence of pathological accumulation, the otolaryngologist can conduct an examination using a probe with rounded ends.

Ear plugs must be removed without fail. It is advisable to treat the pathology in a hospital setting, rather than at home, in order to avoid the negative consequences of removing sulfur formations. Cleaning the ear canals from accumulated wax can occur in several ways.

In order to choose an effective treatment method, the doctor must diagnose the plug and its consistency.

Washing. This procedure is carried out using a special syringe without a needle. Immediately rinsing is done after diagnosing paste-like and plasticine-like types of plugs.

If the formations of other types, that is, are too dense, then they need to be softened. To do this, you should drip softening agents into each ear. This can be done using the following methods:

  • Soda solution (a cup of warm water and a dessert spoon of soda).
  • Heated oil (vaseline or vegetable) - five drops in each pass.
  • Hydrogen peroxide – a few drops a couple of times a day.

More information about wax plug can be found in the video:

These medications should have a temperature between 36 and 39 degrees. Instill using a pipette. After using softening agents for two to three days, wash out the sulfur plug. The essence of the procedure is that with the pressure of warm water, a special saline solution or sterilized sea water, the ear plug is washed out of the ear canal and comes out along with the liquid. Sometimes filtered herbal decoctions that have an anti-inflammatory effect (calendula, chamomile) are used for rinsing.

Dry removal method. If the plug is very dense and hard, treatment is carried out by cleaning the ear canal with special instruments.

  • There are special agents for the treatment of traffic jams - cerumenolytics. They help soften sulfur masses. They are oil or water based. Typically, such drugs have a preventive effect, but in some cases they are used for non-solid plugs.
  • Special candles are also used to get rid of ear plugs, which contain herbal ingredients. When using candles, you should consider basic recommendations regarding proper use.
  • To dissolve hard and dry plugs, the doctor may recommend instilling the ears with a medicine with an enveloping effect - Acerumen spray. It belongs to the group of surfactants. This drug is very effective and is in wide demand. After all, a few minutes after using it, you can easily wash the cork.

Possible complications

If treated incorrectly, serious and dangerous consequences can occur.

Undesirable consequences of ear plugs can be caused by delayed treatment or improper rinsing, especially if this is done at home.

If the washing procedure is incorrect, the following may occur:

  • Otitis
  • Burns of ear tissue
  • Deafness
  • Damage to the integrity of the ear canal
  • Perforation of the eardrum
  • Tachycardia or cardiac arrest

Complications caused by the plug itself may be:

  • Chronic otitis externa.
  • Reflex effects. These include reactions such as increased sweating, impaired functioning of organs or their systems. The most common symptoms are arrhythmias, heartburn, pain in the intestines, constipation, and migraines.
  • Distant pain sensations. Manifest in the form of throbbing pain. Sometimes there may be manifestations of burning, itching, sensitivity to temperature changes in the area of ​​the pathological process, which spreads to the neck, head, and shoulder.
  • Inflammatory processes in the ears.
  • Stenosis of the external canal.

If such complications occur, you should immediately consult a doctor.

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Comments (8)

Elena

06/25/2017 at 20:47 | #

The ENT specialist said that there are no cotton swabs for cleaning the ears, before bathing, moisten a cotton swab a little with peach oil and plug the ears so that no water gets in. For a long time there were no traffic jams with these precautions, but not so long ago it formed again (we lost our vigilance)), I removed it with stopit drops, again on the advice of the ENT specialist.

10/21/2017 at 07:56 pm | #

At what age can children get stopotit drips?

08/01/2017 at 00:33 | #

And so, every day or every other day I clean my ears with stopitis, because I was like that already and don’t want to again...

Olga

09/05/2017 at 13:04 | #

It’s better, of course, not to allow it to wash))) the procedure is not unpleasant. stops good drops. I take the same ones. I see everyone knows them

Alexandra

09.22.2017 at 15:06 | #

drops Stops from sulfur plugs, you need to drip within 3 days

10/09/2017 at 15:58 | #

The main thing is not to use sticks to clean your ears. This is the very first reason that causes ear plugs. My son had to drip stopotit to remove the plug. very convenient drops

10/13/2017 at 03:37 | #

Thank you very much for the informative article.

10/16/2017 at 01:30 | #

Ears are my weakness. Almost immediately they start to hurt. So I immediately start using Otinum drops. They begin to relieve pain in about 10 minutes and relieve inflammation quite well. They also do not contain antibiotics or hormones. I always remove ear plugs from a doctor; I don’t do this myself.

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The medical information published on this page is strictly not recommended for self-medication. If you feel negative changes in your health, immediately contact an ENT specialist. All articles published on our resource are for informational purposes only. If you use this material or a fragment of it on your website, an active link to the source is required.

Source: http://tvojlor.com/lor/ear/ushnaya-probka-simptomy.html

Earwax plugs in the ears: how to remove them correctly

Hearing problems, discomfort and partial deafness - all this may indicate the formation of cerumen. This is a rather unpleasant, but non-critical phenomenon, which you can get rid of by visiting an ENT doctor or doing it yourself at home.

There is nothing particularly dangerous in the formation of an ear plug; it is a kind of protection of the ear canal from dust and contaminants. The contents of the cork consist not only of sulfur itself, but also a large amount of foreign impurities, which indicates the effectiveness of such protection.

Symptoms and causes

The main sign of earwax is the flow of water after swimming or washing. If the ear canal is clean, any liquid can flow out smoothly without any effort. In the case when the ear canal is blocked by a plug, water, when it gets in, causes noticeable discomfort and is in no hurry to leave its position.

The picture shows a diagram for removing wax plugs from the ears.

Externally, the cork can be seen as a small dirty yellow or brown lump. It is especially noticeable in young children. Depending on the degree and “age”, the consistency of the ear plug can range from a paste-like inclusion to a hard dry lump. The danger of cleaning your ears yourself from such phenomena may lie in the close location of the wax plug to the eardrum. Any careless movement or use of sharp objects to clean the ears can lead to partial or complete deafness and a number of serious complications. In any case, the doctor will be able to help and there will be a chance to see how the ENT specialist removes the sulfur plug.

The video explains how to remove wax plugs in the ears:

You can remove the ear plug yourself only after taking a number of protective measures. If it is difficult or impossible to perform such a manipulation at home, you must immediately contact the clinic.

The reasons for the formation of wax plugs have not yet been fully studied; usually everything will depend on the hereditary predisposition and structural features of the hearing aid. Among the possible ones, excessive efforts in personal hygiene should also be highlighted. As paradoxical as it may sound, it is the frequent cleaning of the ears with cotton swabs that leads to hyperactive wax production and the formation of plugs.

Main causes

  • Heredity.
  • Anatomical features.
  • Active secretion of sulfur glands.
  • Hair growth in the ear canal.
  • Constantly being in dusty places, for example, at a specific job.
  • Constant use of headphones or hearing aids.
  • Drying of the ear canal.
  • Consequences of previous specialized diseases.

By changing or removing one of the factors (if possible, of course), you can theoretically get rid of this problem. But practically no one is immune from the formation of sulfur plugs. There is no need to be afraid of this, since they can be easily removed both in a clinic and at home.

The treatment of vasomotor rhinitis in pregnant women is described here.

How to get rid of traffic jams as an adult

It is usually not difficult to rid an adult of this unpleasant phenomenon. If it is small and soft, it is quite possible to perform manipulations at home. In case of difficulties or painful symptoms in the ear area, extraneous noise or a sharp decrease in hearing acuity, you should immediately consult a doctor for help. The manipulation itself will not take much time and will not cause severe pain.

The video explains how to remove wax plugs at home:

After contacting a specialist and a brief examination, the doctor may choose or offer you one of three possible options for removing the inclusion.

Washing out

Preparatory measures include soaking the sulfur plug with 3% hydrogen peroxide. The doctor determines the duration of such measures individually; it is quite possible to carry out the procedure the next day after pouring the peroxide. After sufficient softening of the plug, proceed directly to its removal.

A warm decoction of medicinal herbs is drawn into a large syringe without a needle, after which the procedure of rinsing the ear canal is performed.

Aspiration

This manipulation is carried out using a special electric suction device and can only be performed by a specialist. The use of homemade alternative methods can damage hearing and is therefore highly undesirable.

Surgically

An extreme measure necessary in the case of a particularly dense and dry plug. A simple manipulation is usually performed under short-term local anesthesia and does not affect the patient’s further well-being. This is usually necessary after self-medication has failed, when symptoms of damage to the eardrum are present and special measures must be taken.

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to get rid of foreign inclusions; your doctor will be able to choose the best one in your case.

How to help your child

A special feature of the “children’s” wax plug will be its relative softness (in children, characteristic hardening and severe blockage are less likely to be observed). In this case, the auditory canal in a child is much narrower than in an adult, so you should act more carefully.

The main feature will be the behavior of the baby, who may either not understand the essence of what is happening, or may react too painfully to a generally simple procedure. Contacting a doctor in this case will avoid many problems, and help will be provided quickly and effectively. Your task is to ensure the most calm and level body position, otherwise there is a risk of accidental injury.

The baby has a cough with sputum, what to do about it and what treatment to choose is indicated in the article.

What to do when a child’s cough does not go away after pneumonia is indicated in the article.

The usual hygienic procedure for removing earwax should be carried out as needed, but not more than once a week (greater frequency provokes active wax formation). Children's cotton swabs are also available with a special limiter to avoid unfavorable situations. After all visible traces of earwax have been collected, it is recommended to wipe the cleaned surface with a dry cloth to avoid dust sticking to the area.

The video explains how to remove wax plug:

How to get rid of it at home

It would be useful to remind you that removing wax plugs on your own can be fraught with serious consequences, so before you begin the procedure, make sure:

  • You know what needs to be done and how.
  • All possible precautions have been taken.
  • If something goes wrong, you can get emergency medical help.
  • There is no likelihood of current ear disease, otitis media, for example.
The video explains how to remove wax plugs in the ears yourself at home:

In any other situations, it is better to wait and consult a doctor. If you are determined to do it yourself, here is an algorithm for using the already mentioned hydrogen peroxide.

How to get rid of it yourself:

  1. Lie on your side.
  2. Place a few drops of peroxide in your ear.
  3. Lie in this position for a minute.
  4. Turn over to the other side (if necessary), placing a napkin or towel under your ear.
  5. Repeat for the second ear.

It is better to repeat the procedure for several days until the plug is completely dissolved. The result will be noticeable both in improved hearing and in discharge from the freed ear. Do not use hard objects to clean your ears. Matches, knitting needles and simply picking with your fingers can cause serious damage to the ear canal and tympanic septum.

Using ear candles

This can be said to be a traditional method, a kind of classic ear manipulation. The positive effect will consist not only in getting rid of foreign matter, but also in additional heating of the ear apparatus.

  1. Lie on your side.
  2. Cover the ear with a napkin with a small hole.
  3. Light the candle and place the opposite end to your ear.
  4. As it burns, the sulfur will melt a little and soften.
  5. After combustion to a critical point, the candle is extinguished, the remaining sulfur is removed with cotton swabs and napkins.
  6. Cover the cleaned ear with a cotton ball for about half an hour to avoid sudden cooling.
  7. Repeat the procedure if necessary for the second ear.

Such candles used to be made independently from beeswax, medicinal herbs and propolis. Now you can buy them at the pharmacy.

In the video, removing wax from the ears using a candle:

Alternative Methods

Special medications can quickly and easily dissolve earwax, after which they are independently removed from the ear canal. These so-called cerumenolytics are sold in pharmacies and are highly effective. The method of application is described in detail in the instructions and does not cause any difficulties in execution. If you are planning to remove a plug from a child, be sure to check with your pharmacist about the possibility of using such drugs in childhood. It is also possible to try ear drops with antibiotics, which are often used for otitis, a detailed description is here. And this article provides the entire list of drops in the ears for otitis media.

Ear wax plugs are an unpleasant but easily corrected phenomenon. Regular personal hygiene will minimize the risk of traffic jams, but even with individual characteristics and hereditary predisposition, you should not be too upset.

Removing traffic jams is a simple procedure that can be handled by a specialist. When performing this procedure at home, you must adhere to a number of rules and avoid unnecessary risk of injuring the fragile eardrum. Special medications and folk remedies will help make this easier and safer.

Our children's ENT specialist told me that it is better not to get into the child's ears at all, it is better to remove the plug once every six months or a year than to injure the child's eardrum. My daughter generally cannot clean her ears, even though she is already 5 years old. She has an increased secretion of sulfur and has to remove the plugs every 7-8 months. We go to the ENT specialist and she washes the wax out of the ears. Screams and screams, of course. and where to go.

I developed plugs in my ears precisely because of the excessive use of ear sticks. Well, what can I do, I really love it when my ears are perfectly clean. I recently noticed that my hearing has become worse. I went to see a doctor, he explained everything to me, I was very surprised when he said that it was better to minimize the use of cotton swabs. The doctor removed my plugs and my hearing is back to normal.

I remember that in my teens I had wax plugs, which resulted in decreased hearing. It was as if water had gotten into my ear and was making noise; the congestion did not go away. I even tried to warm my ear by mistake, I thought it was too cold. As a result, the clinic got rid of the plugs in a matter of minutes - they washed my ear canals, the plugs came out along with the water. Since then they have not appeared again.

Source: http://prolor.ru/u/lechenie-u/sernye-probki-v-ushax-kak-udalit.html

Ear plugs: how to remove them at home and at the doctor's

Earwax is a collection of dried mucus mixed with dead epidermis in the outer ear canal. Normally, this secretion is easily removed without additional interventions. However, in some cases it can get into the bony parts of the passage, where mucus accumulates and creates discomfort for the person.

Ear wax is a fairly common problem in our country. According to data provided by Doctor of Medical Sciences V.S. Kozlov, “4% of the population of the Russian Federation is faced with this phenomenon. In total, in the Russian Federation, sulfur plugs are observed in 4 million people of working age, 750 thousand elderly people and 860 thousand children.” You can start treating ear plugs yourself; if the chosen methods are ineffective, it is better to consult a doctor.

Formation of wax plug

Normally, the epithelial cells of the auditory canal secrete a liquid secretion, which dries up and is then freely removed from the cavity in the form of crusts due to the displacement of the anterior wall of the cartilaginous section, which occurs during the movement of the lower jaw when speaking or chewing. As mucus accumulates, it becomes thicker, and desquamated epithelium begins to enter the resulting mass, which increases its viscosity and volume. Removing such a clot becomes problematic; it is called a wax plug. Over time, it can become tightly attached to the skin of the passage, causing the formation of bedsores.

Factors contributing to its occurrence:

  • The anatomy of the auditory canal is its curvature in several planes, a small lumen;
  • When the patient tries to clean the ear, mucus may get into the deeper parts of the passage;
  • Physiologically high viscosity of liquid secretion discharged into the auditory canal;
  • Use of hearing aids;
  • Frequent inflammation of the middle ear;
  • Periodic entry of water into the ear canal.

Classification of clots in the ear canals

In ENT practice, sulfur plugs are divided depending on their consistency. They can be:

The higher their density, the more difficult the extraction. The color of the cork can vary from yellow to brown. Clots are also divided according to whether they completely or partially occupy the lumen of the ear canal.

Symptoms of the disease, diagnosis

For a long time, the accumulation of sulfur in the deep parts of the canal can be asymptomatic.

The presence of a clot in the ears is manifested in the following clinical signs:

  • Hearing loss, feeling of congestion. This symptom is the leading one. However, until a certain point, the patient may not notice any changes. Typically, a sharp deterioration is caused by water entering the ear. As a result, the wax plug swells and completely blocks the ear canal.

Otolaryngologists also consider ear pain as a sign of cerumen impaction. It can occur due to an increase in pressure inside the canal to the site of clot formation. The formed air plug affects the receptors of the ear canals, causing pain. However, this symptom is atypical; if it appears, you should abandon independent measures to remove the clot and consult a specialist.

When making a diagnosis, the doctor is guided by the patient’s complaints and examination. Usually, establishing the presence of wax plug is not difficult.

What can and cannot be done on your own?

You should not try to remove the wax plug on your own, especially with the help of sharp objects, since in this case the lining of the ear canal is often injured. In addition, this can push the plug deeper into the ear canal, making it more difficult to remove.

You can try to dissolve or wash the clot yourself. If there is no improvement, contacting a doctor is a necessary measure.

Also, do not try to knock out the plug by hitting the ear canal with your palm. Sometimes this can help remove the water. It will not have any effect on the position of the plug.

Treatment, removal of wax plug

The most effective treatment measure is rinsing. If it is impossible to use it, you have to remove the plug from the ear using a dry method. Before contacting a specialist, you can dissolve the clot yourself if you are confident that the eardrum is intact.

Rules for washing

It must be carried out according to the following rules:

  1. Studying the patient's medical history before the procedure. If there are perforations in the eardrum, chronic otitis media or hearing loss, rinsing is contraindicated. Fluid can get into the middle ear and cause inflammation.
  2. Rinsing is indicated in cases where the wax plug has not completely obstructed (blocked) the ear canal.
  3. For the procedure, water is used at a comfortable temperature, close to 37°.
  4. Before removing plugs with a hard consistency, they must first be softened. To do this, for 2-3 days before the procedure, special heated drops are instilled into the affected organ three times a day to dissolve the clot.

Important! After instillation, increased hearing loss may occur due to swelling of the plug. This reaction is normal and is not a cause for concern.

Washing consists of the following steps:

  • Warm water is poured into a Janet syringe or a syringe without a needle with a rubber tip with a volume of ml. Note: Janet's syringe is used to rinse cavities. Its design feature is the presence of a plunger or seal, as well as a blunt cone-shaped needle. This allows you to avoid sudden injection during procedures and not injure the patient. Some offices may be equipped with irrigators specifically designed to remove wax from the ear.
  • The jet should be directed up and back, along the wall of the ear canal. It is necessary to pull the auricle in the same direction. For children, it is pulled back and down. The patient's head should be tilted in the direction opposite to the affected ear (for example, if the plug is in the right meatus, the head should be tilted to the left).

It is worth noting that the use of special irrigators is preferable to old methods of removing wax plugs. The reason is that when injecting with a syringe, it is possible to create excess pressure: according to E.V. Garov, head of the ear microsurgery department at the Moscow Scientific and Practical Center, it can reach 10 atm. Whereas the eardrum can withstand pressure of no more than 2 atm. As a result, there is a risk of injury. This outcome occurs in 0.1% of cases when washing is carried out by specialists. At home, the percentage is much higher. Modern irrigators allow you to set the desired pressure parameters and avoid complications after removing wax plugs.

Dissolution of the plug (cerumenolysis)

At home, you can try to get rid of a clot in the ear canal yourself. The following drugs are suitable for this:

  1. Cerumen-A. The product is suitable both for dissolving plugs and as a hygiene measure for the ear canal. It can be used from 2.5 years. Cerumen prevents wax from sticking to the canal skin or promotes its separation. In the presence of purulent inflammation in the ear, as well as perforations in the eardrum, its use is contraindicated. To dissolve the wax plug, one injection of the drug is made into the sore ear, after a minute the head is turned so that the solution flows out. To completely remove the clot, you can rinse with additional water or saline.
  2. Remo-vax. The drug contains antiseptic, anti-inflammatory compounds and oils. They soften the plug, narrow the pores, reducing the secretory activity of the epithelial cells of the ear canal. Remo-vax is available in two forms - drops and spray. It should not be used if there are signs of inflammation - separation of purulent contents, ear pain. The dosage for removing traffic jams is one drop. Waiting time is up to 20 minutes. For old traffic jams, the procedure can be repeated every day for 5 days. For prevention, they should be used twice a month.
  3. Sodoglycerin drops. The drug is rarely on public sale; in medical institutions it is prepared immediately before the procedure from soda and glycerol; the drug must be ordered at the pharmacy. The dosage is 5-10 drops, the duration of action of the medicine is minutes. The drops help soften the cork and make it easier to wash out.
  4. Hydrogen peroxide. Use a 3% solution. When using peroxide in patients with sensitive skin of the ear canal, the concentration must be halved. Up to 10 drops of solution should be poured into the sore ear. During its action, the patient may hear a characteristic hissing and crackling sound.

Previously, it was widely practiced to remove traffic jams using candles. Wax-soaked pieces of fabric were inserted into the ear and briefly set on fire. However, this method is quite dangerous and there is a high risk of burns. Given the large arsenal of modern means, it is definitely not worth treating plugs with ear candles.

Dry wax removal

Instrumental removal of wax plug: curettage

The procedure is carried out only in a medical institution by a medical specialist. You can clean your ear dry using two main methods:

The first method is modern; a device such as an aspirator cannot be found in every clinic or hospital. Its action is based on creating a pressure difference, as a result of which the plug is “sucked out” from the ear. One of the side effects of the procedure is disruption of the vestibular apparatus.

Curettage can be performed under general anesthesia. A probe with a hook is inserted into the patient's ear, if necessary, the plug is pierced and the plug is pulled out. It is recommended to carry out control using a microscope, otherwise there is a high risk of injury. After the procedure, antibiotics may be injected into the ear canal.

Removing wax plug from a child

In children, clots in the ear canals are formed by the same mechanisms as in adults. The specificity of treatment comes down mainly to the psychological aspect. When diagnosing, parents should pay attention to the fact that the baby rubs the ear, scratches, and behaves restlessly.

Similar symptoms may occur during teething. If a child has an earache, the discomfort should intensify when pressing on the tragus. If the plug is not visible visually, it is better to entrust further actions to a specialist.

Before going to the doctor, the child must be reassured and reassured that he will not feel any pain. You can play out the situation with a toy, show on it how you need to tilt your head, how the doctor will instill drops and pour in liquid.

Consequences of wax removal

In the vast majority of cases, the procedure does not have any side effects. The following complications are rarely possible:

  1. Injury to the ear canal.
  2. Infection of the middle ear in the presence of undetected perforations of the eardrum.
  3. Allergic reaction to any component of the drug.

You should consult a doctor if you have the following symptoms:

  • Earache.
  • Separating from the passage of liquid contents.
  • The appearance of hives and red spots on the skin.
  • Heat.
  • My ear was blocked for a long time.

Getting rid of wax plug is quite simple; almost any nurse can handle this task. However, timely oral hygiene will help avoid this procedure and its possible complications.

Ear canal hygiene and prevention of plug formation

As part of your daily hygiene, you should avoid using cotton swabs and other hard or sharp objects. They can not only lead to the pushing of sulfur deep into the passage, but also injure the delicate skin of the canal (its thickness is only 0.1 mm). Cotton swabs usually allow you to get only part of the sulfur. It is optimal to wash the canals with plain water and soap. Children under one year old need to clean only the outer part of the canal with dry cotton wool twice a week.

An important preventative measure is timely sanitation (cure) of all ear diseases. This is especially true for purulent infections. Constantly separating liquid secretion can easily cause a plug to form. When swimming, you need to use special hats, plug your ears with American plugs or cotton swabs soaked in Vaseline.

Important! Earplugs available in pharmacies are not suitable for this purpose, since they often leak water.

Video: sulfur plug, “Life is great!”

Very informative article thank you. I couldn’t even imagine that cotton swabs could cause such harm.

Source: http://uhonos.ru/uho/bolezni-uha/sernye-probki/

Sulfur plug

Cerumen plug is a collection of earwax blocking the external auditory canal, which over time acquires a dense consistency. The wax plug becomes noticeable to the patient only when it completely blocks the ear canal. The signs that clinically manifest wax plug include: noise in the ear and congestion, decreased hearing, autophony, reflex reactions (dizziness, cough, nausea, headache). Sulfur plugs are diagnosed during otoscopy. The method by which the wax plug is removed is selected depending on its consistency and the integrity of the eardrum. It may involve rinsing the external auditory canal or dryly removing wax plugs using various instruments.

Sulfur plug

The cerumen plug consists entirely of earwax, which is a mixture of secretions from glands located in the skin of the external auditory canal. Superficial sebaceous glands produce sebum. The sulfur glands are located deeper and their secretion is milky in color. In addition, the skin of the ear canal contains apocrine sweat glands. In addition to glandular secretion, cerumen plug contains keratinized particles of the skin epithelium of the external auditory canal.

Earwax performs a protective function, protecting the ear canal from damage, drying out and maceration if water gets into it. The acidic environment of earwax has an adverse effect on bacteria and fungi that have entered the ear canal, thereby preventing the development of otitis externa. When chewing, talking, or yawning, earwax moves toward the opening of the external auditory canal. At the same time, dirt, dust particles and small foreign bodies are removed from the ear. The resulting wax plug disrupts the protective mechanisms implemented through earwax.

Reasons for the formation of sulfur plugs

In clinical otolaryngology, there are a number of reasons why wax plugs can form. One of them is the increased secretory activity of the sulfur glands, leading to the formation of such an amount of earwax that it does not have time to be removed from the ear canal and accumulates in it, turning into a cerumen plug. Hypersecretion of earwax can occur with dermatitis, eczema, chronic otitis media, increased cholesterol levels in the blood, and frequent and improper ear cleaning.

Earwax can be caused by difficulty removing earwax from the ear canal. A disruption of the cerumen evacuation mechanism, which results in the formation of a cerumen plug, is often observed with anatomical narrowness or tortuosity of the ear canal; when it narrows due to inflammatory changes; with partial or complete obstruction of the ear canal by a foreign body of the ear; with increased hair growth in the external auditory canal, which is observed in elderly patients; when wearing headphones or a hearing aid. Earwax often forms in people who work in conditions of high dust content: millers, miners, tobacco workers, etc. The constant moisture in the ear canal of divers and swimmers leads to the fact that even a small accumulation of sulfur in it swells and a sulfur plug is formed. .

Earwax can appear as a result of improper hygiene of the external auditory canal. There is a narrow isthmus between the outer membranous cartilaginous part of the auditory canal and its more internal bony part. Earwax is produced only in the membranous cartilage region, but can get into the bony part of the ear canal if the ears are not cleaned properly. It is difficult to remove earwax back through the isthmus. As a result, a sulfur plug occurs. Often, a cerumen plug is formed due to the regular pushing of cerumen beyond this isthmus and its compression at the eardrum, which occurs when an ear stick or other object is inserted too deeply while cleaning the ears.

Signs of wax plug

The sulfur plug gradually increases in size and acquires a harder consistency. But as long as the wax plug does not completely block the ear canal, the patient does not experience any changes in the ear. In terms of its consistency, sulfur plug can be paste-like, plasticine-like and hard.

Typically, wax plugs appear suddenly. This often happens after water gets into the ear. Upon contact with water, the cerumen plug rapidly increases in volume and completely obstructs the lumen of the ear canal. Typical signs indicating a wax plug appear: ear congestion, noise in the ear, decreased hearing (hearing loss). Earwax can manifest itself as autophony - the echo of one's own voice in the ear. If the sulfur plug puts pressure on the eardrum, reflex nausea, cough, headaches, and dizziness may occur. With prolonged compression of the eardrum by cerumen, inflammation of the eardrum (myringitis) and the middle ear cavity (otitis media) can develop, which is manifested by the appearance of pain.

Diagnosis of wax plug

The sulfur plug is detected by an otolaryngologist during otoscopy or microotoscopy. During the examination, using a button probe, it is determined what consistency the sulfur plug has. The eardrum is examined to exclude the presence of a perforation in it after a previous history of acute or chronic purulent otitis media or damage to the eardrum. Determining whether the integrity of the eardrum is compromised is critical to choosing the method by which the wax plug will be removed. Also, during otoscopy, cerumen plug is differentiated from epidermal plug, foreign body of the ear, ear tumor, cholesteatoma.

Treatment of wax plug

Independent attempts to remove wax plug using various available means are strictly prohibited. They can lead to injury to the skin of the external auditory canal, perforation of the eardrum, secondary infection with the development of otitis media or otomycosis. The wax plug must be removed by an otolaryngologist. The choice of method for removing wax plugs is based on otoscopy data.

Most often, wax plugs are removed from the ear by rinsing. However, this removal method cannot be used if the integrity of the eardrum is damaged, since in such cases fluid can enter the middle ear cavity and provoke an inflammatory reaction. Paste-like and plasticine-like wax plug can be removed by washing immediately after it is diagnosed. Removal of the wax plug by rinsing is done using a Janet syringe, into which 150 ml of furatsilin solution or sterile saline solution is taken. The liquid used for washing should be heated to a temperature of 37°C. This allows you to avoid the irritating effect of the procedure on the skin receptors of the ear canal and prevent reflex reactions (dizziness, nausea, headache).

Hard sulfur plug requires preliminary softening. It is carried out for several days before the prescribed rinsing. As a rule, the wax plug softens when 3% hydrogen peroxide heated to a temperature of 37°C is instilled into the ear. The instillation procedure is carried out 3 times a day. In this case, the patient who has a cerumen plug is warned that during the period of instillation of peroxide, worsening of congestion in the ear and increased hearing loss may occur. This is due to the fact that the cerumen plug swells under the influence of the instilled solution and obstructs the ear canal even more tightly.

In cases where the wax plug cannot be removed by rinsing, so-called dry instrumental removal is used. Similar to the removal of a foreign body in the ear, it is carried out using special instruments: an ear hook, ear forceps or a spoon. To avoid damage to the ear canal and eardrum, the wax plug must be removed from the ear under mandatory visual control. After the cerumen plug has been removed, turunda with boric alcohol is injected into the ear for several hours to prevent infection.

Prevention of wax plug formation

Since wax plugs often form due to improper ear cleaning, the basis for its prevention is to familiarize patients with the basic principles of ear hygiene. Earwax removal should only be done from the surface of the auricle and around the opening of the ear canal. The introduction of ear sticks into the ear canal causes, at a minimum, its compaction, which disrupts the natural mechanism of cleansing the ear, resulting in the appearance of a cerumen plug. If the patient believes that there is an accumulation of earwax in his ear canal and fears that a cerumen plug will soon appear, then he should contact an otolaryngologist. The doctor will examine the external auditory canal and, if excessive accumulation of earwax is detected in it, will carry out professional cleaning. Periodic professional ear hygiene will help avoid the formation of wax plugs for people with increased hair growth in the ear canal and owners of hearing aids.

Earwax also occurs due to overproduction of earwax. Prevention of increased secretion of sulfur involves timely treatment of inflammatory diseases, eczema and dermatitis, and control of blood cholesterol levels.

Sulfur plug - treatment in Moscow

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