What is Cerumen (Earwax)?

Cerumen, better known was earwax, is a naturally occurring secretion that originates from the outer third of your ear canal.  It is a mixture of secretions from the sebaceous glands and skin. There are two types of ear wax, the wet type and the dry type.

It is important to not use Q-tips to clean your ears. Your ears are self cleaning and do most of the work without the need for intervention.

The type of earwax you have is a genetic characteristic passed down from your parents. It can come in a variety of colors like gray, orange, yellow, or brown.  Earwax has an important purpose! It helps lubricate our ear canals, has anti fungal and anti bacterial properties, and also helps keep the bugs away. Earwax is normal and perfectly healthy. When earwax becomes impacted, meaning that there is a significant amount of earwax to the point that the eardrum is no longer visible, it needs to be taken out. Impacted earwax could be caused by putting things in your ears, like hearing aids, headphones, or hearing protection, which blocks the natural process of allowing earwax to naturally slough out of your ear canal. It can also be caused by certain medical conditions that cause an excessive build up of earwax or if someone has small ear canals a build up of wax is almost inevitable.  Your physician or audiologist can help determine if you have a significant amount of wax that needs to be removed. It is important to not use Q-tips to clean your ears. Your ears are self cleaning and do most of the work without the need for intervention. Q-tips only push the earwax further in and make it harder for a licensed medical profession to get the wax out!

Check out this video to learn even more about ear wax!