How Do You Know If Your Hearing Loss Is Caused by Earwax?
If you’ve been noticing more difficulty hearing recently, you may be wondering if the cause is just some earwax that’s blocking your ears. This is certainly a possibility, although the only way you’d be able to know this with certainty is to have someone check your ears for occluding wax. This could be your GP, pharmacist, audiologist, or any other qualified healthcare professional. Let’s look a bit more into just how earwax may cause hearing loss, and some signs to look out for.
What Is Earwax and Does It Serve a Purpose?
Earwax, or “cerumen” as it is medically known, is a substance produced in the outer third of the ear canals. It is formed via a combination of watery and oily secretions from the ceruminous and sebaceous glands. These secretions mix with dead skin cells that naturally shed from the ear canal, forming what we recognise as earwax. While we don’t know the exact purpose earwax serves, it’s thought to play both a protective and self-cleaning role for the ears. Earwax helps keep debris and foreign bodies out of the ears, moisturises the ear canals, and helps dead skin cells migrate out. A small amount of earwax in the ears is considered healthy and natural and usually does not require removal.
Can Earwax Cause a Hearing Loss?
Earwax can absolutely cause a hearing loss. If earwax builds up faster than it can naturally clear from the ear canal, then the wax may start to block sound from hitting the eardrum, which will consequently affect your hearing. Earwax can cause a “conductive hearing loss”. This is a hearing loss caused by a problem with the outer or middle portion of the ear, rather than a “sensorineural hearing loss”, which is usually related to a problem with the inner ear. This may lead to your ears feeling blocked, perhaps only on one side. You may also notice some tinnitus—ringing, buzzing, or humming in the ears. It is important to keep in mind, though, that earwax won’t usually cause a sudden change in your hearing, as it tends to build up gradually. If you notice a very sudden change in your hearing from one moment to the next, this should be investigated urgently, as sudden hearing loss can sometimes be caused by a problem with the inner ear and requires medical assessment.
Will Removing Earwax Help Me Hear Better?
If earwax is completely or almost completely blocking your ear canals, then removing it will likely improve your hearing, at least to some degree. Many people will notice an immediate benefit and feel like they are hearing much better following earwax removal. Some people are also relieved to find out their ears are occluded with wax, as they may have been worried that they had a more permanent problem with their ears. However, it is worth noting that many people may still have an underlying inner ear-related hearing loss. The earwax then adds “insult to injury”, exacerbating the existing hearing loss. People in this situation may initially notice that they are hearing better following earwax removal, but shortly afterwards will become aware that they are still asking people to repeat things, or misunderstanding things that are said to them. It can therefore be a good idea to have your hearing tested following earwax removal, to ensure that this was the sole cause of your hearing challenges.
Can I Try to Remove Earwax Myself?
You generally should not attempt to physically remove earwax yourself, and you certainly should never insert anything into the ear canals, such as cotton buds, to try and get wax out. A cotton bud will likely push wax farther in, worsening the problem and making it more difficult to remove. You can try eardrops, such as olive oil-based drops, which can help soften wax and potentially help it naturally migrate out of the ear canal. However, if the wax is fully blocking your ears, drops alone usually will not resolve the issue. If the wax does need to be removed, it is best to have this done by a trained professional, such as an audiologist. In many cases, the earwax can be gently removed using microsuction.
Conclusion
A buildup of earwax can cause a noticeable hearing loss, particularly when it is completely or almost completely blocking the ear canal. The good news is that it is usually an easily resolved problem when removed by a trained professional. If you suspect that one or both of your ears is blocked with wax, it would be a good idea to book an appointment with an appropriate healthcare provider, like an audiologist. An audiologist can examine your ears and check for wax as well as the overall health of your ear canals and eardrums. If no wax is present, then you are already in the right place for further advice and treatment.
If you're looking for earwax removal in Finchley or North London, we’d be happy to help. At Finchley Hearing, we’re a fully independent audiology clinic offering ethical, evidence-based care. You can learn more on our Earwax Removal service page here, or feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
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