Previously, we touched on the topic of hearing aids and how they may greatly affect a person’s daily life. Let’s continue this discussion. Moving forward, we will also share ways hearing loss may occur and the risk factors.
Intro to cerumen:
Recently, we shared the anatomy of the ear and the functions of the parts. It is quite interesting breaking it all down and understanding where the sound must travel in order for your brains to translate the sound waves. In order for our brains to receive the message loud and clear, there is quite a lot distance that it must travel.
If you missed out on our last article, get caught up there before reading any more of today’s article. This will help you better understand today’s discussion. There are certain things we do ourselves that cause hearing loss.
Other times, there are certain factors we just cannot prevent. First off, earwax can build up and can actually prevent conduction of sound waves. Basically this means, the earwax acts as a physical barrier where the sound gets muffled or almost muted.
This is very unfortunate, but there are a few methods people opt for in order to remove the buildup of earwax. Ear wax is necessary for hygiene and your ears protection. Interestingly, it lubricates the ear canal and protects the ear drum from foreign objects.
Needed nuisance:
You could say it is sometimes a needed barrier but also a pesky barrier because it causes slight hearing loss in certain cases. Foreign materials are not just sprinkles and earrings. They can include tiny foreign objects such as dust, bacteria, and many more microorganism’s.
Without ear wax, the ear would be much more susceptible to infection which can irritate and inflame your ears. To many people’s surprise, earwax is not wax. Ear wax is actually called cerumen. Cerumen is made up of skin cells that have fallen off of the inside of your ear canal, pieces of hair, and the secretion from the ceremonious glands found in the outer ear canal.
There are two types of ear wax. Read further as not many people know this! Earwax actually differentiates between races. The two types of ear wax are either wet or dry.
People of Northeast Asian and Native American descent often have crumbly lighter in color cerumen. It can be tan to a lighter grey. Wet cerumen is sticky and yellow to light brown colored. It can even have an odor.
This earwax is usually found in people of European or African descent. What does your cerumen tell you about your lineage? Removing too much earwax can not only lead to infection, it can lead to annoying itches.
Discuss ear wax removal with your doctor:
You may find yourself itching inside of your ear, and this is not good. If you scratch the itch, you may open a tiny cut. That is prime location for bacteria to enter then leading to an ear infection.
Thank you for stopping by. Next week, we are continuing is icky ear wax discussion that is also oh so intriguing. Stop by next time!
Make an appointment if your ears itch or if you tend to have excess earwax.
Staff Writer
