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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Is It Safe To Use Ear Swabs For Cleaning The Ears ?

Is using ear swabs for cleaning ears advised? If not, how do we clean our ears? Is it necessary to visit an ENT specialist to clean our ears periodically?
Thu, 12 Apr 2012
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hi there,
There is no need to clean the ears with the cotton swab. Wax (cerumen) protects our ear from water entering inside the ear while swimming or taking a shower. It protects us by preventing small insects from entering inside the ear.
In some people, who suffer from impacted, hard wax, which might cause ear pain and hearing loss, need to visit their ENT doctor.But as a routine practice there is no need to visit the ENT doctor periodically to clean the ears.
There is a saying, do not put anything smaller than your elbow inside your ear. However , you can clean the external ear(pinna) with the help of a moist cotton bud.
Hope I have answered your question. Have a nice day :)
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Is It Safe To Use Ear Swabs For Cleaning The Ears ?

Hi there, There is no need to clean the ears with the cotton swab. Wax (cerumen) protects our ear from water entering inside the ear while swimming or taking a shower. It protects us by preventing small insects from entering inside the ear. In some people, who suffer from impacted, hard wax, which might cause ear pain and hearing loss, need to visit their ENT doctor.But as a routine practice there is no need to visit the ENT doctor periodically to clean the ears. There is a saying, do not put anything smaller than your elbow inside your ear. However , you can clean the external ear(pinna) with the help of a moist cotton bud. Hope I have answered your question. Have a nice day :)