Earwax is a natural substance that occurs in the ear canal and protects against dirt, dust, and water. However, impacted ear wax can be a nuisance to remove. In this article, we will explore the best ways to remove impacted ear wax from your ears as well as some tips on how to prevent it from happening again.
Impacted Ear Wax
Untreated impacted ear wax can cause pain and discomfort. In addition, it can lead to other problems such as tinnitus, infection, and dizziness. You do not want to miss out on all of the usual activities that you enjoy because impacted earwax has taken over your ears!
Earwax occurs naturally in everyone. It protects the ear canal and can help avoid dust and water entering the inner ear. If like many of us, you tend to try and clean this wax out yourself, you might end up causing it to become impacted.
You may notice that the wax in your ear has become impacted if you have any of these symptoms:
- Decreased hearing
- Dizziness
- Ear pain
- Plugged or fullness sensation
- Ringing in the ear
These are all signs that impacted ear wax may have become trapped in your ears.
At this point, you may be tempted to try and remove the ear wax yourself. We recommend you do not do that! You should not be sticking anything in your ears. In short, you simply cannot see what you are doing and may cause further damage to your outer ear or your ear drum.
Effective Removal
To avoid this simply visit your local audiologist, us! Make an appointment here and after that we can take a proper look in your ears and immediately tell you whether you have impacted ear wax. If you do, we can remove it very safely and efficiently using the correct equipment and our many years of experience.
We will use medical-grade equipment via a microscope or a method called video endoscopy to see inside your ears. The impacted ear wax may be impacted deep in the canal of your ears. Firstly we establish how much wax you have in your ears, secondly we use the appropriate procedure to remove it.
Methods to Effectively Remove Ear Wax

There are a few methods that we can use to effectively remove ear wax:
- Microsuction: our qualified audiologists, will use a microscope to see inside your ear canal and remove impacted ear wax with specialised equipment. This involves a gentle vacuum through a thin tube used under the microscope.
- Irrigation: we gently pump warm water, using a syringe, into the ear canal to flush out impacted ear wax.
- Manual removal: we will use a probe, guided by a camera, to gently remove impacted ear wax which has become hard and compacted over time.
Our qualified hearing care professionals, who have undergone accredited microsuction training, conduct our wax removals . They are also registered members of the Health & Care Professional Council (HCPC) and fellows of the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists (BSHAA).
We advise that when you get your ears checked for wax you should also check your hearing. When it comes to your hearing, you should never take chances. We can do all of this for you. Additionally we recommend an annual check-up and making it part of your routine healthcare.
Our practices are located in Bollington, near Macclesfield and Leek in Staffordshire. You can reach us from Cheshire and Staffordshire including Macclesfield, Bollington, Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, Cheadle, Poynton and Stoke on Trent. So, if you are unable to come to us we also make home visits. Home visits can be very useful for more elderly patients or those for whom travel is a more complex issue.
You can get in touch with us here. You can make an appointment at the clinic or set a time for a home visit.