Earwax

Wax or cerumen is normal. It is made of a mixture of keratin (shed skin) with viscous (oily) secretions from sebaceous glands and from modified apocrine (sweat) glands. The migrates out from the eardrum. If it becomes impacted it can cause deafness. Patients – and particularly parents – need to be advised not to poke hairclips, pens, tissue paper or spectacle frames in the ear. The ear is self-cleansing. Meddling with it only causes the wax to become impacted and may traumatise the ear canal causing otitis externa.

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