Does Mineral Oil Help Remove Wax From Ears?
"Clean behind your ears," your mother said. But what about the stuff inside of them? We've all heard the very unhelpful advice to not put anything in your ear that's "bigger than your elbow" but sometimes it gets a little untidy in there. Not to worry. The human body is a miracle of self-maintenance, and your ears are no exception. But, if you do have a problem with waxy build-up, mineral oil is a safe and easy solution.
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What is Ear Wax?
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The medical term for ear wax is cerumen (pronounced SIR-uh-min). It is a mixture of secretions from your sebaceous glands and your sweat glands, and it occurs naturally in most mammals.
Why Is It In My Ear?
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That waxy, yellowish stuff you find on the end of your cotton swab is there to help with lubrication and cleaning, and to protect your inner ears from things like bugs, water, fungi and bacteria getting into them.
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When Is It Too Much?
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If your ear wax builds up too much, or gets impacted, it can press against your eardrum and make it hurt, or clog up your ear and make it hard for you to hear. It can also press against nerves that the ear and throat share in common and make your throat tickle, which will make you cough.
What Is Mineral Oil?
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Mineral oil is made by distilling petroleum. It's a by-product of producing things like gasoline from crude oil.
Lightweight, colorless and odorless, mineral oil has all sorts of domestic and cosmetic uses from helping to heal diaper rash and eczema to strengthening eyelashes and removing make-up. Fragrance is added to market it as baby oil. It is also taken internally as a laxative.
Does Mineral Oil Help Remove Ear Wax?
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Yes, it does. According to the Mayo Clinic, a few drops of mineral oil or baby oil placed in the ear twice a day for four or five days will soften impacted ear wax. Glycerin and hydrogen peroxide will have the same affect.
Once the wax is softened, you can use a little warm water in a syringe or squeeze-bulb to gently wash it out of your ear.
If the wax is really packed in there or has hardened and your home remedies are not working after five days, see your doctor. Do not try to dig the wax out, because that can pack it in more deeply.
Also, if you are having ear pain, do not try to treat the problem yourself. Putting mineral oil or even water into a perforated eardrum, or an ear with any other kind of damage, can cause a serious infection.
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- Photo Credit Images courtesy of Bubbathud and Troubled_Monster and on Photobucket.
