Surprisingly, the act of cleaning your ears can not only increase your risk of trauma to the ear canal and make your ears more prone to infections, but it also removes earwax, which helps naturally protect your ears from water and bacteria.
Earwax prevents infections and acts like flypaper to catch tiny foreign objects from entering your ear canal. Wax will naturally—in most people—make its way out your ear without assistance from soft cotton swabs such as Q-tips®.
If ear pain or wax becomes bothersome, talk to your doctor or visit oregonclinic.com to find an ear specialist near you.
Dr. Frank Warren is an otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose & Throat physician) who specializes in chronic ear disease, skull base surgery, hearing loss, and more. To learn more about Dr. Warren or to request an appointment, visit www.oregonclinic.com/our-team/frank-warren