By now it should come as no surprise that sticking the tip of cotton bud down your ear and scraping around for bits of wax isn’t a good idea. And yet… we all still do it anyway. Despite countless warnings from doctors and healthcare experts.
After all, what else would you use a cotton bud – which is even referred to as an ‘ear bud’ by many – for if you’re not using it to scoop wax out?
We’re all guilty of it (Getty Stock Images)
For those who are still guilty of cleaning inside their ears with a cotton bud, here is your thousandth reminder about why it could be damaging to your health.
Sharing the PSA on Instagram, GP Dr Amir Khan – who makes regular appearances on ITV shows such as Lorraine and Good Morning Britain – explained why the common grooming technique is harmful.
“One thing I never advise is the use of cotton bud sticks to clean the ears,” he said.
“It may feel good to stick a cotton bud inside of your ear and it may come out with a little bit of wax on which makes you feel like you’ve cleaned it, but all you’ve done is push that wax further down your ear.
“Which risks the wax completely blocking the ear, or worse, damaging the drum.”
Dr Khan then went on to explain the risks of perforating your eardrum, as well as having to fish bits of broken cotton buds out of patients ears in the past.
“Cotton bud sticks are not for your ears and they’re terrible for the environment,” he added in the caption.
“I know it might feel satisfying but you could be doing more harm than good!”
Viewers were naturally torn in the comment section, with several people agreeing with Dr Khan’s advice while others seemed unwilling to break the habit.
“It’s the only way to reach that itch though,” one person protested, while a second joked: “But Amir….it feels so niiice.”
It’s time to say goodbye to the cotton buds (Getty Stock Images)
If you’re looking for doctor approved ways to remove any ear wax buildup, advice from the NHS suggests using ‘2 to 3 drops of olive or almond oil in your ear’ and lying on your side for five to 10 minutes with the affected ear facing up.
Should ear wax problems persist, you can also seek advice and treatment from your local pharmacist.
And whatever you do, keep away from the cotton buds.
Sticking a cotton bud down your ear and giving it a good old clean is one of the simple pleasures in life – but if you ask a doctor, it’s one of the worst things you can do.
You might think it’s a harmless way to maintain good hygiene inside your lugholes, however, medics warn that this actually does more harm than good.
Dr Suraj Kukadia, who is better known online as Dr Sooj, regularly shares videos on social media educating people on their health – such as the five signs that a mole could be cancerous and what that weird ‘shooting pain’ you might occasionally get in your bum is all about.
Now, the GP from Hertfordshire has moved onto discussing our ears and the dangers of shoving a cotton bud down them.
In a TikTok clip, he explained: “How do you clean your ears routinely in a safe way?
Dr Sooj says the best way to clean your ears is to…not clean them (Getty Stock Photo)
“The answer to this is very, very simple – you do not,” Dr Sooj said. “Don’t go inside your ears. Don’t put anything smaller than your elbows in your ears or in your nose.
“The reason for this is that your ears are self-cleaning, earwax has a protective function. It helps to catch microorganisms, it helps to catch dirt and it’s designed to protect your eardrum.”
Dr Sooj said that some people can experience ‘excessive wax production’, but trying to get rid of it yourself is a bad idea.
The medic continued: “If you start shoving stuff into your ear to try and get it out – like Q tips or cotton buds – you’re going to be inadvertently pushing that wax up against the eardrum.
“In really unfortunate cases, you might even burst your eardrum and that is a situation you do not want to be in. So, what we recommend is, you don’t touch your ears.”
The GP warned that sticking a cotton bud down your lugholes can do serious damage (TikTok/@doctorsooj)
As someone who has experienced a burst eardrum myself, I can confirm it’s no walk in the park. Sheer agony might be the best way to describe it.
Anyway, Dr Sooj said that cleaning the outside of your ears is fine, but inside the canal is completely off limits.
Otherwise, it can cause some very unfortunate consequences.
He warned: “When earwax does get impacted against the eardrum, it can cause things like tinnitus or ringing in your ears.
“It can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting and even muffled or reduced hearing.
“If you have any problems, just go and see your doctor because we can very easily check the inside of your ears, tell you if some wax is there and give you some simple steps to try and resolve it if it is.”
We know you’ve heard it all before, but just to hammer it home one more time – cotton buds are NOT for cleaning the inside of your ears.
Even Dr Sooj said so!
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Photo/TikTok/doctorsooj
