Ear Wax
It's sticky. It's shiny. But what is earwax,
anyway - and where does it come from?
Earwax is made in the outer ear canal. This
is the area between the fleshy part of the
ear on the outside of your head (the part
you can see) and the middle ear. The skin in
the outer ear canal has special glands that
produce earwax. The fancy name for this waxy
stuff is cerumen (say: suh-roo-mun).
After the wax is produced, it slowly makes
its way through the outer ear canal to the
opening of the ear. Then it either falls out
or is removed when you wash. In most people,
the outer ear canal makes earwax all the
time, so the canal always has enough wax in
it.
So why do we need wax? Earwax has two
important jobs. First, it contains special
chemicals that fight off infections that
could hurt the skin inside the ear canal.
Second, it acts as a shield between the
outside world and the eardrum. When dust,
dirt, and other things enter your ear, the
earwax traps them so they can't travel any
further.
If you want to get rid of earwax, pay close
attention to what to do:
nothing! Most kids don't need to do
anything special to remove earwax. If you
wash your hair regularly, this is enough to
keep your ears clean. Don't use a cotton
swab, your finger, or anything else to poke
around inside your ear to remove earwax.
Your ear canal and eardrum are very
delicate, and you may hurt them or cause
bleeding by trying to get rid of wax this
way. Poking around in your ear can also push
and pack the wax in further.
In some kids, one or both ear canals make
extra earwax. If this sounds like you, tell
an adult. Doctors often can prescribe
special medicines that are placed in the ear
to get rid of extra wax.
Updated and reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD