What is black ear wax?
Ear wax in the ear canal in the right amounts is required for the healthy maintenance of your ear. But ear wax in excessive amounts can be problematic.
Also, you might have noticed that people have different colors of ear wax coming out of their ear when they clean it at home.
Of all different types of ear wax, black ear wax is usually associated with older people. But this isn’t completely true. People who are excessively exposed to dirt in their surroundings too can get black ear wax.
Black Ear Wax - Causes
Ear wax attains a black color due to the dirt and bacteria trapped in it. Ear wax can also undergo discoloration as a result of being inside the ear canal for a long time.
If you have not gotten your ear wax cleared in a long time, you will definitely notice that the ear wax close to the eardrum area is black in color, or dark brown.
Black ear wax can be caused due to the excessive use of earbuds or earphones. When you use these products, there is a high chance that some amount of ear wax gets pushed back into the ear canal.
Every time you use these products, a significant amount gets pushed in. As time passes, the ear wax changes its color. Thus, the older the ear wax is, the darker it is.
Health Issues Associated With Black Ear Wax
Black ear wax should be cleaned as soon as possible. If not, then it can cause severe health problems including dizziness, severe pain, and fluid-like discharge. This condition can even worsen if you avoid the symptoms, and ultimately, you might lose his hearing capacity.
If you are deterring from getting your ear canals cleaned because of the fear of going to the doctor, then you can do the process at home:
1. Ear Irrigation Kits
Ear irrigation kits let you flush a small jet of water inside your ear, and then the dirt and the ear wax come out along with the water when you tilt the head. You can easily purchase the kit online or even get it from a nearby medical store without any prescription.
However, people suffering from ear canal problems or infections should stay away from the product. Also, if the water is flushed at the wrong angle, it can damage your middle ear or your eardrum.
This is a battery-operated device that comes with silicon leads and an in-built camera. It lets you efficiently clean your ears without causing any damage to the ear canal.
The product is suitable for kids above 3 years of age and the whole process of cleaning will take less than 10 minutes.
Depending on the amount of wax build-up, use a suitable silicon tip and slowly pull out the ear wax. You can connect the device to a smartphone to see visuals captured by the camera to carry out the procedure in the safest way possible.