What causes earwax blockage?

Earwax is a yellow, viscous, greasy, water-insoluble substance secreted by glands in the skin at the opening of the outer ear canal. It helps protect the ear canal against impurities, foreign bodies, and infections. Due mainly to genetic factors, earwax varies in amount and consistency from one person to another. The outer ear canal is self-cleaning in that earwax naturally flows towards the opening of the canal as the canal’s skin is renewed.

However, earwax can sometimes build up into a blockage or plug that blocks the outer ear canal. This typically happens under the following circumstances:

• Excessive secretion (due to genetic factors);
• An obstacle that prevents earwax from flowing out (e.g., ear hair, a hearing aid, or a child’s very narrow ear canal); or
• A skin condition that causes excessive shedding of the skin’s outer layers (e.g., psoriasis and eczema).

Earwax blockage forms when earwax mixes with dead skin cells that have woven together into a kind of net. Earwax blockage is potentially dangerous and should be removed. Scientists have found that a cerumenolytic solution containing seawater, like Doculyse ear spray by Quies, can dissolve earwax blockage—even though oil and water are immiscible. This is because the solution acts on the net of dead skin cells rather than the earwax itself.

Symptoms of earwax blockage

Earwax blockage can result in the following symptoms or conditions:

• A feeling that your ear is blocked;
• Buzzing in the ear or tinnitus;
• Autophony (when you hear the echo of your own voice), especially while taking a bath, shower, or washing your hair;
• Occasional vertigo; and/or
• A sensation of irritated skin.