Earwax protects and lubricates ear canal: New guideuidelines for its removal

Earwax: Too Much of a Good Thing?
New Guidelines Set for Safely Removing Excess Earwax
By Kelley Colihan
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Aug. 29, 2008 -- The body is a miraculous mechanism. Consider the once-lowly earwax. People used to try to remove it. Now, we now know that earwax has a job to do.

Think of it kind of like the oil in your car, except it doesn't ever have to be changed.

Earwax is created by a mixture of secretions from glands that line the ear canal, sloughed-off skin cells, and bits of hair.

It acts as a cleaning agent, which also protects and lubricates part of the sensitive ear canal.

Normally, excess wax eases its way out of your ear without any prompting on your part, helped along by the movement of your jaw.

That's when it can be cleaned out a bit, but it's advised that you not go looking for it and only clean out earwax once it emerges on its own.

So, although earwax is essentially good, too much of it can cause problems.

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