Frequently Asked Questions

Our ears are self cleaning and typically you should never need to remove wax. For some people excessive earwax can cause problems in one or both ears such as 

Muffled hearing 

• Tinnitus 
• Earache, itching or discomfort
• A feeling of fullness 

It is important to make sure that any symptoms you may have are caused by earwax and not an infection or other problem, this will be assessed during your consultation. This service is designed for people requiring earwax removal and any other problems found during the consultation will have to be referred to a doctor. 

People who may commonly need ear wax removal are:

• People who wear ear plugs regularly
• Users of in ear headphones
• Regular cotton bud users
• Users of hearing aids 

While there are safe ways to remove earwax at home such as olive oil drops/spray, these often aren't effective enough for people with excessive or impacted wax. You should avoid putting anything in your ears such as cotton buds or fingers, this can not only cause damage but can also put you at risk of infection and it risks pushing the wax further into the ear canal, this will make your ears feel more blocked and can even cause damage to the ear drum. 

To use this earwax removal service you must be over the age of 18 and give your consent to the procedure. You must also understand the benefits and the risks. The procedure is not suitable for anybody who is unable to sit still, as this poses a risk of damaging the ear. 

Other things such as infection, ear surgery, severe tinnitus or vertigo may also mean that this service isn't suitable, you will be asked some questions before booking an appointment to make sure that this service is suitable for you. 

Earwax removal is likely to be much more successful and much more comfortable if you are able to use an over the counter earwax softener. The earwax softener should be used 3 times a day for 3 days prior to the appointment or 5 days if you think you have very hard or impacted wax, this gives us the best chance of being able to remove all the wax in the same appointment. 

•  If you are a hearing aid wearer then only use earwax softening drops at night once the hearing aids have been removed, avoid putting hearing aids in straight after application as this can damage the hearing aid. 
• If you find that you have a bad taste in your mouth after using softening drops this may mean that you have a small hole in the ear drum, unfortunately this means that earwax removal would not be suitable for you. You should therefore stop using the softening drops and see your GP.