Earwax plays a protective role in ear health.  

• It enables the self-cleaning mechanism within your ears and traps dirt and dead skin cells. 
• It assists in the movement of debris away from the ear drum towards the outer ear canal.  
• It has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial qualities. 

Earwax should only be removed when it becomes problematic. 

• Impacted wax can cause hearing loss, preventing sound waves from reaching the ear drum. 
• Impacted wax can create the perfect environment for infection, both fungal and bacterial. 
• Impacted wax can stimulate the auditory nerve causing buzzing or ringing in the ears. 
• Impacted wax can occasionally push against the eardrum and cause dizziness or vertigo. 
• Pressure from impacted wax can be terribly distracting and can lead to pain, discomfort, itching and headaches. 

Factors that contribute to impacted earwax include: – 

• A narrow, curved or damaged ear canal. 
• Lots of hair within the ear canal. 
• Use of cotton buds. 
• Eczema. 
• Inflammation of your ear canal e.g. swimmer’s ear. 
  
• Naturally occurring excessive wax production. 

Microsuction earwax removal is a gentle procedure used to remove earwax buildup from your ear canal. I use surgical magnifying glasses and directed light to see the ear canal in detail.  

During the procedure a tiny sterile tube is directed into the ear canal to remove the wax. There is a wind-like noise from the end of the suction tube, most clients are not troubled by this. 

The gentle suction can create coolness in the ear canal. 

On occasion you may hear a high-pitched squeak or crackling noises.  

If the wax is particularly hard or impacted it can cause intermittent discomfort during the procedure. Occasionally the wax or dead skin cells are adhered to the canal wall, you can talk to me throughout the procedure to let me know how you are feeling. 

It is important that you keep as still as possible during the procedure as sudden movement can cause accidental injury. 

The urge to cough is common for some people during Microsuction as the nerve controlling the cough reflex can pass very close to the ear canal. Stimulation of this reflex is not harmful and the procedure can be paused as needed. 

You may find that your ears feel a little strange for a couple of days following microsuction. This is normal and will settle.

Risks and Complications

Grazing or bleeding may occur during microsuction if hard wax or dry skin is adhered to the delicate wall of the inner ear canal. If this happens there is no need to worry as the area should heal by itself with no lasting damage.  

There is a small risk of perforation of the ear drum from sudden or unexpected movements. This sort of trauma is incredibly rare.  

Dizziness can occur as a result of cool air being drawn into the ear. This usually goes away quickly and the procedure can continue after resting for a moment. Dizziness during or shortly after the procedure is only temporary. Long lasting dizziness is not a recognised risk of microsuction.  

The occurrence of infection from microsuction is very rare. Any increasing pain or discharge from the ear following an appointment should be assessed by a medical professional.  

Frequency 

If you are prone to earwax build up it is sensible to be pro-active and have wax removed every 4 – 6 months.  

If you wear hearing aids, regularly use in-ear noise defenders or in-ear headphones then it may be sensible to have wax assessed and removed a little more frequently.