Why do we have earwax?

The outer ear is made up of the ear itself and the canal that leads to your eardrum. The ear canal is about one inch long. The skin of the ear canal contains wax-producing glands that are not present anywhere else on your body.

At first, you might wonder why the ear canal is designed that way. After all, the ear canal is like a tunnel that needs to be open for you to hear properly. So why coat it with wax? Well, the skin that lines the ear canal is very sensitive, and a coating of wax helps protect it. In addition, because earwax is sticky, it can trap dirt and objects that accidentally get into the canal entrance before going any deeper. The quantity and quality of earwax vary from person to person - some people make lots of wax while others make very little.

The most important thing to know about earwax is that you should leave it alone. The ear canal will naturally self clean itself but if you try to remove earwax with a cotton bud, it usually accomplishes one of two unintended goals: Either the wax is pushed in deeper and potentially blocks the canal or the sensitive skin lining the canal is scratched which can lead to infection.

For details on House of Hearing's microsuction wax removal service, click here!