Doctors explain why ear picking habits can affect hearing

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Bich Dao, an ENT specialist ( Hanoi Medical University Hospital), in practice, doctors have received patients who regularly use cotton swabs, gradually causing hearing loss or problems affecting hearing.

Unhygienic ear cleaning habits can affect hearing

Doctors said that when patients come to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist, they all confirm that they are very careful when cleaning their ears, always limiting the depth of the cotton swab. However, in reality, uncontrollable accidents still happen to their ears.

Among the patients who came to see the doctor, a female patient recounted: "While I was putting a cotton swab in my ear, someone accidentally walked by and touched my hand, causing me to have terrible ear pain and bleeding."

During the examination, the doctor found that the female patient's eardrum was completely destroyed, with only a small part remaining. But fortunately, because the other structures of the middle ear were not damaged, the doctors were able to perform surgery to patch the eardrum.

"If the cotton swab had gone in just a few millimeters deeper, this patient could have permanently lost all hearing," the ear, nose and throat specialist shared.

Regarding the hearing loss caused by frequent ear cleaning with cotton swabs, Dr. Bich Dao explained that the cotton swab acts like a piston in the ear canal, pushing the earwax deeper and blocking the ear canal. This also makes it difficult for doctors to remove earwax. Not only does it cause hearing loss, cotton swabs can also perforate the eardrum, as happened with the female patient mentioned above.

Can cause facial paralysis

"In severe cases, cotton swabs can damage many structures in the eardrum: round window, oval window, ossicular chain injury and cause complete deafness, prolonged dizziness accompanied by nausea and vomiting, loss of taste function, and even facial paralysis," Dr. Bich Dao noted.

Do not arbitrarily clean your ears to avoid ear pain and inflammation.

Dr. Bich Dao added that most people pick their ears when they feel itchy or have earwax. The "tools" used are cotton swabs, iron rods, fingertips, and even toothpicks. Picking over and over until they get used to it, and as soon as they stop picking, they feel itchy again, and gradually the ear starts to hurt. The pain gradually increases, and then there is discharge from the ear, sometimes mixed with blood, accompanied by swelling of the ear or even spreading to half of the face.

Itchy ears are caused by many reasons. One common cause is that the external ear canal does not secrete enough mucus, the skin will become dry and itchy. At this time, picking your ears will be a stimulating action that makes your ears drier. Therefore, do not pick your ears out of habit, but use anti-dryness ear drops, according to the instructions of a specialist.

Not only objective noise from the surrounding living environment, many people also have bad daily habits that negatively affect hearing, even causing irreversible hearing damage.

The most common is wearing headphones at high volume for a long time. Wearing headphones is a necessary need for work and entertainment. However, we need to note that we should not use headphones at more than 60% capacity, the volume should not be higher than 80 dB and should not use for more than 1 hour per day. Stay away from noisy places or have protective equipment.

You should give up the habit of picking your ears, blowing your nose and squirting water into your nose. You should check the condition of your ears before going swimming.

Treat immediately whenever the ear has symptoms of inflammation (earache, ear discharge, tinnitus...).

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Bich Dao

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