preparing your ears for earwax removal

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It is recommended that you use olive oil ear drops in your ears for 3 - 5 days in the run up to your appointment. It can be helpful if you have someone to put these in for you, but you can do this yourself.

1) Lay your head on a pillow or towel with the effected ear facing upwards. Turn your head very slightly so that your nose is pointing just slightly downwards towards the pillow/towel.

2) Whilst laying in this position, pull your ear backwards & upwards as this will open the ear canal better.

3) Administer 2 to 3 drops into your ear canal.

4) Gently massage your ear, both in front & behind, to encourage an even distribution of the oil. Remain in this position for at least 5 minutes. Do not put cotton wool into the ear canal as this will absorb the oil. You can then swap to treat the other ear if needed.

You may feel your hearing become more muffled when using the oil. This is because the earwax expands as it softens, so this is to be expected. It is important that you soften the earwax before your appointment. If the earwax is impacted and too hard, the earwax removal procedure may need to be stopped for your safety and comfort. In this case a follow up appointment may be needed, which would incur an additional fee for this separate appointment. 

The earwax removal procedures offered by Hear Well Clinic are deemed safe and effective and are the only methods recommended by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence). The procedures are are performed by trained and accredited Senior Clinical Audiologist, Helen Whalen. 

The charge for earwax removal is £55 for one or both ears. In the event your ears are found to be free from earwax when you attend, a thorough visual examination of your ears will be performed and advice will be offered instead, which costs £25. Alternatively, you may want to have a diagnostic hearing test performed instead as this may reveal the reasons for your symptoms.  These tests can generally be done in the same appointment at the same cost of the earwax removal charge, £55. See diagnostic hearing tests page for further details. 

Earwax is normal and is in not an indication of unclean ears. In fact, earwax is the substance your ears naturally produce to protect them and keep them clean. In most cases earwax slowly migrates its way out of the ear canal, bringing with it any dirt and debris which has entered the ear canal. However, on occasions, earwax can build and become stuck. In these cases you may experience problems such as:

*Reduced / muffled hearing

*Fullness in the ear

*Tinnitus

*Ear pain

*Dizziness

*Itchy ears

*If you wear hearing aids it can cause sound quality issues with them or cause your hearing aids to make a whistling noise that can be heard by those around you.

Earwax should only be removed by a professional with experience in such procedures.

As a preventative measure, it is a good idea to use oil in your ears, once a week to reduce the risk of earwax becoming too hard and causing blockages. 

* Never push anything into your ear such as cotton buds or hair clips. This tends to just push the wax further into the ear canal & you risk damaging the ear canal or the eardrum.

* Avoid ear cleaning tools you may see advertised or earwax bulb syringes (or any other type of syringes for that matter). These also risk pushing the earwax deeper into the canal & can cause trauma to the ear canal or eardrum.

* Hopi candles / ear candles are not regarded as an effective or safe way to remove earwax so should be avoided.  

If you have a build up of earwax you should attempt to soften this with olive oil, which you can purchase from a pharmacy. In a lot of cases the earwax will loosen & work its own way out of the ear canal. However, if your symptoms persist, you may need to seek professional help to have this removed safely and effectively. If you have a build up of earwax which has not resolved after using olive oil, contact Hear Well Clinic for an earwax removal appointment.