Looking after your ears

Top tips for healthy ears

• If you have problem ears, keep them dry!
• To keep your ears clean, wash the visible part of the ear and behind the ear with slightly soapy fingers. Then wipe the soap away with rinsed fingers and dry with a thin towel. Do not poke the corner of the towel or flannel into the entrance to the ear canal.
• Do not try to remove wax using a cotton bud. The ear canal has a self-cleaning action (this action is disrupted for people who have had a mastoid operation and they will require regular cleaning of the ear canal by a clinician). As wax is produced only at the entrance to the ear canal and the movement of the ear canal is outwards, some wax may appear on a cotton bud when it is removed from the ear, but the majority of the wax will have been pushed from the normal position, backwards down the ear canal. This can cause blockage of the ear with wax and can damage the very delicate skin lining of the ear canal. The acid content in the wax can cause irritation of the skin further down the ear canal when it is pushed into the wrong place.
• Rinse hair in fresh water. Lying down to wash hair in bath water can cause an infection to develop as there are always body bacteria in the bath water and these can become trapped behind any wax in the ear canal.
• Protect ears from dust and noise.
• Consult a doctor or nurse if you have constant or recurring ear pain.
• Don’t be afraid to discuss any concerns you might have about ear infections or hearing loss with a health professional. Talking it through with a doctor or nurse can dispel unnecessary fears, provide a clearer understanding about hearing or your ears, and will ensure you get appropriate treatment if necessary.
• If you have other questions about ear problems which have not been answered in the factsheets or by your doctor or nurse, contact Deafness Research UK who can refer your enquiry to an ear care specialist.