Don’t Let a Cotton Swab Send You to the Doctor

Don’t Let a Cotton Swab Send You to the Doctor

Cotton swabs or more commonly called Q-Tips, are used for just about anything. But, one use you might want to avoid is putting them into your ear canals. the ear canal is a delicate area, and by inserting a Q-Tip into your ear canal to clean out the ear wax sounds like a good idea, it can lead to other problems. The ear canal contains small capillaries carrying blood through the skull, just under the surface. A Q-Tip can cause these to rupture causing bleeding in the ear and blood blisters. Worse yet, you can possibly puncture and burst the ear drum, causing extreme pain and possibly permanent hearing loss.

For those who think, I am getting a small amount out; in actuality you are pushing the wax further into the ear canal and up against the ear drum. Limiting the eardrum’s ability to perform which can affect you hearing as well.

The manufacturer’s place a warning on the packaging “Do Not Place in the Ear Canal”, heed their advice and use them for the intended purpose. There are over-the-counter ear cleaning kits available that are quite effective with ear wax removal. Save yourself a painful trip to the doctor, and an un-anticipated visit to your hearing healthcare professional.