Using cotton swabs, clips, or other hard objects to remove earwax can cause severe, unexpected impacts, leading to eardrum tears or perforations. Frequent ear cleaning can also push earwax deeper, causing blockages, ear fullness, and temporary hearing loss. This practice can also scratch the ear canal's skin, increasing the risk of otitis externa (outer ear infection) and ear fungus.

Symptoms of a perforated eardrum include sharp pain, ear bleeding, sudden tinnitus, hearing loss, and dizziness. Eardrum perforation typically results in hearing loss, with severity depending on the hole's size and location.

The eardrum is a thin, semi-transparent, oval-shaped membrane. It separates the outer and middle ear, receiving sound waves for hearing and blocking harmful agents like dust, bacteria, and viruses from the middle ear. Eardrum perforation occurs when this membrane is punctured or torn.

The ear canal contains hair cells and glands that secrete a protective fluid, creating a sticky film. This film prevents dust, bacteria, and fungi from entering. This fluid, combined with shed skin cells and dirt, forms earwax, which can be brownish, grayish, or black.

Ears constantly produce earwax to protect the ear canal. Natural jaw movements, such as chewing, swallowing, and talking, along with the ear canal's skin cell shedding cycle, cause earwax to naturally exit the ear without manual cleaning.

A doctor is consulting a patient. Illustration: Tam Anh General Hospital

A doctor is consulting a patient. Illustration: Tam Anh General Hospital

Most mild cases of eardrum perforation can heal naturally with careful medical care or non-surgical treatment. If the eardrum does not heal or if perforation is accompanied by a middle ear infection, patients may require tympanoplasty (eardrum repair surgery).

To maintain ear hygiene, use a towel to dry the outer ear rather than cotton swabs after showering. Avoid using sharp objects or non-sterile tools for at-home earwax removal. If you experience pain, itching, discomfort, hearing loss, or tinnitus, consult an ear, nose, and throat specialist. A doctor can diagnose the cause and safely remove earwax using specialized instruments.

Ho Van Huu, MD, MS, First Degree Specialist

Ear, Nose, and Throat Center

Tam Anh General Hospital, TP HCM