Patient information · ENT
Earwax and hearing loss
one is trivial, one can be an emergency
Earwax is normal, protective and self-clearing, and only needs removing when it causes symptoms. Hearing loss is a different matter — gradual loss is common and treatable, and sudden loss in one ear is a medical emergency that is very frequently missed.
Seek same-day assessment for
- sudden hearing loss in one ear over hours to days — this is an emergency
- hearing loss with severe vertigo, facial weakness or severe pain
- hearing loss following a head injury, loud blast or barotrauma
- discharge of blood or clear fluid from the ear
- one-sided tinnitus with hearing loss
- hearing loss with a severe headache or neck stiffness
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss treated with steroids within days often recovers substantially; treated after a few weeks it usually does not. It is regularly mistaken for wax or a blocked ear and sent away. If your hearing dropped suddenly and syringing did not help, do not accept that explanation — ask to be seen urgently.
Earwax
Wax is produced continuously and migrates outwards on its own, carrying debris with it. Ears are self-cleaning and need nothing done to them. Problems arise when wax is pushed back in, or when the canal is narrow, hairy, or occupied by hearing aids or earphones.
Cotton buds are the main cause of impacted wax
A cotton bud removes a little wax from the entrance and pushes the rest deeper, compacting it against the eardrum. They also scratch the delicate canal skin, causing infection, and perforations from cotton buds are a routine ENT presentation. Nothing smaller than your elbow should go into your ear — the advice is old and it is still correct. Ear candles are useless and cause burns and perforations.
Safe removal
- Olive oil or sodium bicarbonate drops, two or three drops twice daily for three to five days, often clears wax without anything further. Lie with the ear uppermost for a few minutes afterwards.
- Microsuction is the preferred method — wax is removed under direct vision with a microscope and a fine suction device. It is quick, dry, and safe with a perforation or previous ear surgery.
- Irrigation with a controlled-pressure device is an alternative, but is not suitable if you have a perforation, previous ear surgery, a single hearing ear, or recent infection.
- Do not use a syringe or water jet at home, and do not use drops if you have a perforated eardrum without advice.
- Softening drops for a few days beforehand make any removal method considerably easier and safer.
Gradual hearing loss
Age-related hearing loss usually affects both ears, begins with high frequencies, and shows itself as difficulty following conversation in noisy places, needing the television louder than others, and asking people to repeat themselves. It develops so slowly that most people underestimate it, and the average delay before seeking help is around ten years.
- Untreated hearing loss is associated with social withdrawal, low mood and an increased risk of dementia. Treating it is not vanity.
- Hearing aids are far better than most people expect — small, discreet, and rechargeable, with Bluetooth streaming from phones and televisions.
- The brain needs several weeks to readjust; early impressions that everything is too loud are normal and settle.
- Adapt the environment too: face people, reduce background noise, and use subtitles.
Protecting the hearing you have
- Use the 60/60 rule with headphones — no more than 60% volume for no more than 60 minutes at a time.
- Wear proper ear protection for power tools, loud machinery, shooting and motorbikes. Musicians' filtered plugs preserve sound quality at concerts.
- Move away from speakers, and take quiet breaks at loud events.
- Noise damage is cumulative and permanent — there is no repair mechanism.
Book an appointment if your hearing has dropped suddenly — today — or if you need wax removed by microsuction, want a hearing test, or have been struggling in conversation. We offer microsuction and ENT assessment on site seven days a week, with audiometry arranged through our CQC-registered partners.
Microsuction and ENT assessment on site
Seven days a week, 9am–7pm, on Whitechapel Road.
Tower Bridge Hospital London
97–99 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1DT
WhatsApp 07903 284 189
info@mhwclinic.co.uk
Open Mon–Sat, 9am–7pm (closed Sundays until September)
In an emergency
Call 999, or go to the Royal London Hospital Emergency Department, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1FR.
When we are closed and it is not an emergency
Call NHS 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk.