The real scoop on QTips in the Ear

[sr71blackbird]

Doc, I use Q Tips a lot. I always heard that its 'bad' to stick things in your ears, and the packaging suggests that you use them for other things, but I suspect the majority of people insert them into their ears, especially after a shower to get any water out. Is it really a bad thing to do? I am not talking about digging them in deep and puncturing your ear drum, just general use. I don't think its bad, and if I was required to never do it again, it would really piss me off. I enjoy it!

[Dr Steve]

Doc, I use Q Tips a lot. I always heard that its 'bad' to stick things in your ears, and the packaging suggests that you use them for other things, but I suspect the majority of people insert them into their ears, especially after a shower to get any water out. Is it really a bad thing to do? I am not talking about digging them in deep and puncturing your ear drum, just general use. I don't think its bad, and if I was required to never do it again, it would really piss me off. I enjoy it!

QTips suck, really; I used to pull q-tip fuzz out of people's ears, or disimpact wax that had been shoved against the eardrum by q-tips, or at worst, sent people to an ENT to have their perforated eardrum fixed.

There really isn't anything a QTip can do that you can't do more safely with some other device. For cleaning wax out, a MURINE EAR KIT (syringe and softening solution) is 1000% better than just mushing wax around in your ear with a QTIP.

For water, if it doesn't drain out easily (turn your ear to the floor and jump up and down if you have to) you probably have wax buildup and need to clean out your ears with the aforementioned Murine Ear Kit. :smile:

Having said all that, I'm betting 99% of Qtips are bought by people shoving them in their ears. 99.99% of the time, you're probably just fine (except with the wax thing, for which they make things worse nearly always). Can't recommend them for that, though.

Swabbing out the HELIX (the outside part of the ear) is just fine. Just no canal.

[biggestmexi]

Why does it feel so right if it so wrong!!!!!?????

[opie's twisted balls]

except with the wax thing, for which they make things worse nearly always
Morning Doc,

Just wondering how it makes it worse? My technique is to double up a pair of q-tips and then go digging for gold in my ears. Stick it in the canal and spin around, sure enough come out with a good collection of nasty goo.

On a related topic I had a friend while growing up who told us that his mom used to use her ear wax whenever she had chapped lips. :blink: How fucking nasty is that???

O'sTB

[Dr Steve]

Morning Doc,

Just wondering how it makes it worse? My technique is to double up a pair of q-tips and then go digging for gold in my ears. Stick it in the canal and spin around, sure enough come out with a good collection of nasty goo.

On a related topic I had a friend while growing up who told us that his mom used to use her ear wax whenever she had chapped lips. :blink: How fucking nasty is that???

O'sTB


It makes it worse because you get a rim of impacted earwax around the eardrum at best, and an impacted mess covering the eardrum at worst. Cotton is just not an effective tool for removing gooey crap from some deep hole.

Put some vaseline in a test tube and see if you can clean it all out with a QTip...it's kind of analogous. :smile:

Your friends mom was a freak. Can you imagine kissing someone who did that?

[topless_mike]

dr steve,
doesnt the body take care of itself in this regard?
i always though that you clean the outside of the ear, and the body does its conveyor belt thing to clean out the inside?

yes? no?

[Enabler]

On a related topic I had a friend while growing up who told us that his mom used to use her ear wax whenever she had chapped lips. :blink: How fucking nasty is that???

O'sTB


Very, very fucking nasty!

[Dr Steve]

dr steve,
doesnt the body take care of itself in this regard?
i always though that you clean the outside of the ear, and the body does its conveyor belt thing to clean out the inside?

yes? no?


mostly yes, though the body's tolerance for globs of wax in the ear is higher than ours is, picky little clean freaks that we are these days.

There are some people, though, for whom the conveyor belt doesn't work. They get full ears and decreased hearing due to the impactions in their ears. This was one of the things I loved to do in my old practice...someone comes in with an ear impaction, you flush out their ears and they're IMMEDIATELY better, thinking you're some kind of genius. The other thing like that was thrombosed external hemorrhoids...patient comes in in agony, walks out pain free (albeit with a bloody, leaky ass) and happy.

[opie's twisted balls]

Put some vaseline in a test tube and see if you can clean it all out with a QTip...it's kind of analogous. :smile:
Cool, a science project!! I'm sure I have a test tube somewhere in the house, not sure about the vaseline but probably have some other greasy goop that would work.


Your friends mom was a freak. Can you imagine kissing someone who did that?
Earwax lip balm notwithstanding she was a little off. She was a complete clean freak with her house (which is little odd given her choice of lip care)....if you used the bathroom at their place she'd have to go in right after you and wipe things down. Was always running around the house like a lunatic baking something, making crafts, etc. Sort of like Martha Stewart on crack.

[topless_mike]

There are some people, though, for whom the conveyor belt doesn't work. They get full ears and decreased hearing due to the impactions in their ears. This was one of the things I loved to do in my old practice...someone comes in with an ear impaction, you flush out their ears and they're IMMEDIATELY better, thinking you're some kind of genius.

i had this done in 2001. i was a stickler for cleaning with qtips. i went to the dr because everything was sounding ever so slightly muffled. they looked in, and then went to get the turkey baster. "ear canal irrigation", i believe was the phrase they used. warm saline solution and the sucker and they pulled out these golden nuggets of goo. i walked out covering my ears because everything was so loud again.

at that time, the dr suggested that i lay off the qtips in the ear, and let my body do the rest.

[walking joint]

i am one of the unfortunate with the ear wax problem. i clean the ears, but the wax builds up over time no matter what I do. i've had the irrigations, but right now the ear goes in and out of general soreness. The last time I had it done, they got a decent piece out, but blood came out on the next squirt. i assume the wax latched onto skin and ripped off when it came out. but the ear really hurt for a few days after that as I assume it bruised up. it feels fine now, but i know i still have some wax in there. not sure i really want to go back anytime soon to avoid that pain again. it doesn't really bother me(Outside of just wanting to rub an itch in my ear)...until the hearing starts to go away.

[Dr Steve]

i am one of the unfortunate with the ear wax problem. i clean the ears, but the wax builds up over time no matter what I do. i've had the irrigations, but right now the ear goes in and out of general soreness. The last time I had it done, they got a decent piece out, but blood came out on the next squirt. i assume the wax latched onto skin and ripped off when it came out. but the ear really hurt for a few days after that as I assume it bruised up. it feels fine now, but i know i still have some wax in there. not sure i really want to go back anytime soon to avoid that pain again. it doesn't really bother me(Outside of just wanting to rub an itch in my ear)...until the hearing starts to go away.

you might benefit from a regular cleaning using a Murine Ear Kit...instead of waiting until it backs up (which I'm guessing happens every 6-12 months or so), you could do some preventative maintenance every 3-4 months and avoid the pain of disimpaction.

Just an idea...talk it over with your ENT or primary care person.


your pal,


steve