nathaniclinic1
January 27, 2018
This is one of the commonest questions that I get from anxious parents. I recently saw a child who unfortunately, had a ruptured eardrum due to well intentioned attempts at removing wax by using a hair pin.I do hope that this article serves as a valuable guide to parents in taking care of a day to day issue while bringing up their children.
First a background on why people clean their ears. The auditory canal secretes wax in all human beings. This wax is protective as it traps dirt and other particles that enter the ear and prevent them from damaging the delicate eardrum. The eardrum is really thin in children and can rupture even more easily than in adults. Normally, the wax keeps getting pushed outward from the ear canal to the outside and is then washed away when we take a shower. Sometimes, the buildup of earwax is greater than the amount that is washed away and this can result in clogging of the ear canal.Remember that these same symptoms can occur in a child who has middle ear infection though, such children usually will have fever or inability to sleep at night and the discharge from the ear may be pus like or bloody or even clear. It is best to show your child to your pediatrician if you notice these symptoms.
There is no special care required. If you see wax on the outside of the ear, please wipe it away with a wet washcloth or cotton swab. Please do not use ear buds or hairpins inside the ear canal in any case. To examine the ear, just gently lift the ear outwards and behind the body. This straightens the canal and you can easily look inside. If it looks clogged then, please approach your child specialist or ENT surgeon and he / she will do the needful in no time at all.
In fact, it is not very jokingly said that do not put anything into the ear that is smaller than your
elbow! Ear buds inserted into the canal, push the wax further inside and makes it more difficult to remove. The cotton on the bud dries out the water in the wax, further impacting it.Dehydration causes the wax to become dry and impacted so please give your child adequate amount of fluids.
Your doctor may use any or all of the following methods:
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