Using cotton buds to clean can lead to conductive hearing loss – ENT Specialist

Cotton buds are widely available in every home for cleaning ears, but many people are shocked to discover that they might have a major impact on their hearing.

Cotton buds could give off a fleeting sense of cleanliness, but because the ear canal is so delicate, they can cause harm to the ear and lead to hearing loss.

Mr. David T. Sang, the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) nurse specialist at the Saint Martins De Porress Catholic Hospital in Agormanya, Eastern Region, stated in an interview with Ghana News Agency that cleaning the ear with cotton buds can harm the eardrum or the ear balloon.

“Because the eardrum plays an important role in hearing by interacting with other systems in the middle ear and converting the sound wave into what the brain can understand (electrical impulses), using a cotton bud can cause the eardrum to burst, resulting in a conductive hearing loss,” he said.

He noted that such hearing loss is not because the nerves have a problem, but it is because there is a problem in the flow or movement of the sound.

According to the specialist, another way that one can have a challenge in hearing is that when using a cotton bud to clean earwax, you push the wax deeper into the ear, and it will be piling up like the way sedimentary rocks form, and it becomes hard, blocking the external auditory canal, eventually leading to hearing loss.

When your ear itches or you have an allergy, you may feel compelled to insert anything into it, such as a broom, cotton bud, pen cap, matchstick, feathers, or other objects that are likely to tear the eardrum and cause conductive hearing loss.

Mr. Sang stated that persons who use brooms, feathers, pen tips, sticks, and other items do not use them to remove wax from the ear, but rather to cure themselves for itching or an undiagnosed allergy, which causes the itching.

He explained that the ear is filled with sensitive nerve endings, and stimulating these via cotton bud use can trigger all sorts of visceral pleasure, making it sweet when you put something in the ear, and you will be enjoying yourself, but before you know it, it will perforate the eardrum, resulting in hearing loss.

“When your ear itches continuously or for some time, it could be due to an allergy or infection. Therefore, you should see a specialist for an examination to discover the cause,” he added.

He went on to say that cotton buds were designed to clean the pinna, the ear’s outer surface, rather than the wax in the external ear canal.

The pleasure it provides causes people to forget themselves, and they progressively stimulate themselves until something unexpected occurs.

The Nurse encouraged everyone to attend ENT clinic when they felt discomfort rather than treating oneself with cotton buds.

Earwax is a natural defence system that prevents dust and particles from getting to the delicate eardrums and has antibacterial and lubricating properties, thereby promoting ear canal health.

Cotton buds’ fluffy ends can easily push earwax deeper into the ear canal, causing blockages and ear discomfort and leading to hearing loss.

Source: GNA

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