Impacted earwax

Impacted earwax is a common ear problem. It happens when earwax builds up and becomes hard or stuck, blocking the ear canal.

When this happens, sound cannot travel through your ear properly. That is why many people notice muffled hearing, a blocked feeling or a sense that their ear is full.

Impacted earwax is not usually serious, but it can be uncomfortable and affect your day‑to‑day life. The good news is that it can be diagnosed and treated safely.

Symptoms can come on slowly or suddenly. They may affect one ear, or both.

Common symptoms include:

• muffled or reduced hearing
• a blocked or full feeling in the ear
• ear discomfort, itchiness or mild pain
• ringing or buzzing in the ear
• dizziness or balance problems
• difficulty hearing conversations, especially in noisy places
• coughing (caused by stimulation of a nerve in the ear canal)

If you already use hearing aids, impacted earwax can also stop them working properly.

Impacted earwax is usually diagnosed by a trained clinician. They’ll look inside your ear using a small light or microscope.

This allows them to see whether earwax is blocking the ear canal and how hard or deep it is.

You do not need a scan or hearing test to diagnose impacted earwax.

Our ears are very good at cleaning themselves, but sometimes things go wrong.

Our bodies can start producing more or stickier earwax, which can harden and block the ear canal.

When we try to clean our ears, we can make things worse. Cotton buds or other tools can push the earwax further down and create a buildup.

Age plays a part too. Earwax becomes drier as you get older, and the hairs in your ear can become rougher. This makes it harder for your ears to get rid of the wax.

Other things that can make you more likely to get impacted earwax are:

• using a hearing aid
• using ear plugs or in-ear headphones
• having narrow ear canals
• having a lot of hair in the ear canal
• certain skin conditions, such as eczema

Treatment depends on how hard the wax is, how far down it is in your ear, and whether you have any ear conditions.

Options can include:

• softening the wax with ear drops
• removing the earwax safely in clinic

You should not try to remove hard or impacted earwax yourself. Home remedies and objects in the ear can cause injury or infection.

At Bupa, we offer professional earwax removal using a technique called microsuction, which is a very safe way to treat impacted earwax.

In many cases, symptoms stay the same. In some people, they can get worse.

Untreated impacted earwax can lead to:

• ongoing hearing problems
• discomfort or pain
• dizziness
• irritation of the ear canal or ear infections

If your hearing is affected, it is best to get it checked.