What causes excessive earwax buildup?
Aida Blanda
2025-11-08 06:52:57
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: 20
Ear wax builds up when the self-cleaning process in your ear is disrupted. If wax builds up, it can become impacted (hard). Some people are born with narrow ear canals or their ear canal may have an abnormal shape, which can get in the way of the ear's natural self-cleaning process. Using foreign objects in the ear (such as cotton tips, hearing aids and ear plugs) can also limit the self-cleaning process, and encourage ear wax build-up over time. You might be more likely to have a build-up of ear wax if you: have narrow or very hairy ear canals work in dirty or dusty places try and clean your ears yourself with cotton buds, which can push wax down into the ear wear earplugs or a hearing aid regularly are older, since wax gets harder with age and won't fall out as easily
Mariano Casper
2025-11-06 14:15:33
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: 18
Excessive cerumen production can lead to severe blockages, trigger temporary hearing loss and cause permanent damage to the ear. Improper ear hygiene, such as using cotton swabs, can contribute to impacted earwax. Tools like cotton swabs might puncture the ear canal and cause micro abrasions to the walls of the ear. Even worse, when not used properly, swabs can end up pushing the cerumen further down the ear canal, thus contributing to impacted earwax. Cleaning your earwax on a regular basis might trigger your ear’s sebaceous glands into producing more cerumen to keep the ear protected. Pollen and other allergens – like dust, pet dander and mold spores – can also severely affect your ears and cause irritation in the ear canal, thus triggering a defense response from the sebaceous glands in the ears and causing excessive production of earwax. When you feel stressed or fearful, your apocrine glands ramp up their cerumen production – in the same way in which stress can cause excessive sweating, trigger skin breakouts and worsen acne. Objects getting in contact with the ear’s skin, such as headphones, can cause a contact stimulus, thus causing the ear glands to respond by producing more cerumen. The overproduction of earwax can be caused by a multitude of factors, including your age, health conditions, medications and lifestyle.
Shanna Bradtke
2025-10-27 06:32:32
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: 17
Some people regularly get blocked ears because they naturally produce a lot of earwax. Other causes include: producing naturally hard or dry earwax having narrow or hairy ear canals (the tube between the opening of the ear and the eardrum) being elderly, as earwax becomes drier with age bony growths in the outer part of the ear canal Earwax can also block your ear if you often insert objects into your ear, such as cotton buds, ear plugs or hearing aids.
Leda Kessler
2025-10-19 07:58:29
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: 16
A build-up of earwax can happen if you have narrow or damaged ear canals.
A build-up of earwax can happen if you have lots of hair in your ear canals.
A build-up of earwax can happen if you have a skin condition affecting your scalp or around your ear.
A build-up of earwax can happen if you have inflammation of your ear canal.
Earwax normally just falls out on its own.
When it's blocking your ears, a pharmacist can help.
Lilliana Kuphal
2025-10-14 16:09:48
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: 22
Wearing headphones or earbuds for long periods can push earwax deeper into the canal and block its natural expulsion. This habit also creates a warm, closed environment, which may stimulate excess wax production. Similar to earphones, hearing aids can obstruct the natural movement of wax and cause it to build up in the canal over time. Ironically, trying too hard to clean your ears, especially with cotton buds, can remove protective wax and stimulate the glands to produce more, or push wax deeper into the canal, causing blockages. People with eczema, psoriasis, or chronic ear infections may experience increased wax production due to irritation in the ear canal. Some individuals are anatomically more prone to wax buildup. Narrow or curvy canals can trap wax and make natural expulsion more difficult. As we age, earwax tends to become drier and harder, making it more likely to accumulate and become impacted. Several lifestyle and environmental factors can trigger an unexpected increase in earwax production or lead to impaction.
Mikayla Streich
2025-10-02 18:53:03
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: 29
Earwax blockage occurs when earwax builds up in your ear or becomes too hard to wash away naturally.
If your ears make too much wax or if earwax isn't cleared well enough, it may build up and block your ear canal.
Earwax blockages often happen when people try to get earwax out on their own by using cotton swabs or other items in their ears.
This usually just pushes wax deeper into the ear, rather than removing it.
The wax in your ears is made by glands in the skin of your outer ear canal.
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