The ear canal is made up of sweat glands, oil glands and cerumen glands that form fluid/sediment in the form of earwax.

Earwax can be pushed out on its own due to the movement of the jaw joint (temporo-mandibular joint) when chewing food and speaking.

Don'ts

› Cleaning the ears by inserting any object or liquid without special prescription from a doctor
› Clean ear wax using:
• Cotton swabs (cotton buds/ cotton swabs/ Q-tips)
• Ear picks are made of wood/iron

because in addition to inserting earwax deeper, excessive ear scraping causes :

• Occurrence of infection (bacteria/fungi),
• Damage to the skin structure in the ear canal
• Injury to the eardrum (tympanic membrane/ear drum) due to trauma from an object inserted into the ear.

Recommended (Do's)

Cleaning a healthy ear without an infection/perforated eardrum is very easy. You can use a damp cloth to clean the earlobe and outer ear canal.

If there is an infection, injury/pain, or the ear feels closed due to improper ear cleaning, a doctor should be consulted.

Material by: dr. Shinta Nurmasari, SpTHT-KL, M.Kes