The reason not to do it isn’t about being careful. It’s about pushing wax deeper into your ear canal where it impacts the eardrum.
The g spot is in the ear canal
Submitted 3 days ago by SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com to [deleted]
https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/pictrs/image/d7d3858f-d5ce-48dc-9ed6-650e9356b2a1.webp
Comments
intensely_human@lemm.ee 3 days ago
BugleFingers@lemmy.world 3 days ago
What are people supposed to use if not Q-tips? I’m actually wondering cause I use Q-tips after every shower
Soup@lemmy.world 3 days ago
In fact, there’s a lot you don’t need to do nearly as frequently or aggressively unless there’s a specific reason for it. A common one is shampoo, where after a few days of letting it go back to normal your hair will be perfectly fine taking care of itself. I just rinse it every day and that’s been more than enough for many years.
theneverfox@pawb.social 2 days ago
People say that… And yet, in middle school they did a hearing screening, and said I had reduced hearing. I told my mom “that’s crazy, my hearing is incredible, I just had earwax in my ears”. We went to the doctor anyways, the PA said she couldn’t see any earwax even though I could hear it moving around when she put the scope in my ear
I was adamant I just needed to clean my ears, so my mom grabbed some qtips from the exam room when the PA left, I cleaned my ears, and I passed the test perfectly
In my 30s I can still hear those “teen repellants” that whine at a pitch most lose in their early 20s. People look at me weird when I say I heard someone’s voice on the wind, and yet I can pinpoint individuals talking normally within a half a mile in a forest
I don’t use qtips anymore, I use a metal loop to clean my ears, but for me it’s most certainly necessary to clean them somehow
Droggelbecher@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Do you never use shampoo? I personally only even wet my hair once or twice a week, then wash with shampoo though.
daggermoon@lemmy.world 1 day ago
but it gets itchy
suction@lemmy.world 2 days ago
hair
Do you notice people keeping their distance from you? Because non-washed hair (with shampoo I mean) is one of the worst smells there is. Never fails to make me gag when I walk behind a person with non-washed hair.
unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 3 days ago
Q tips are wide as fuck to prevent people from injuring themselves easily i think. Really what you need is something thinner that has hook like properties and there are kits with those.
At some point i just bent a piece of wire into a loop to use that. (toothpick for scale) Thats not stainless steel tho so its gonna corrode.
slingstone@lemmy.world 3 days ago
I unfold paperclips and use the smaller end. One caveat that make me realize it’s not the best idea: the point I unfolded can break. I’ve never lost one in my ear, but I could imagine it happening.
Lev_Astov@lemmy.world 2 days ago
What… uhh what are you doing with that toothpick?
iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 3 days ago
You really shouldn’t insert anything into your ear canal unless you are a professional, and even then probably wouldn’t recommend doing it on yourself.
If you need to clean your ears, there are products specifically made for that (no, q tips are not made for that). Hydrogen peroxide also works.
moseschrute@lemmy.world 3 days ago
I’m not a doctor, but they make ear cleaners that are more of a scoop shape. Imo q tips suck because you are trying to scoop with something that isn’t scoop shaped. The scoop allows you to get the earwax without shoving it deeper into the ear.
One thing to bear in mind is there are two earwax types. I can only speak for my type, which is sticky.
Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 2 days ago
The cap of Bic pens!
Allows you to scoop and clean without the fear of going too deep (adults only).
DakRalter@thelemmy.club 2 days ago
I got my ears vacuumed the other day at the ENT clinic. Unfortunately I’m one of those people that gets a lot of wax build up. Copying the grown ups using cotton buds to clear the wax just meant I was constantly getting ear infections as a kid. As an adult, I’d get wax build up, I’d try olive oil as my GPs would always recommend, only that would make it clog up more and muffle my hearing. Then the only way to get that big plug of soggy wax out was either to fish it out with a bit of screwed up tissue or a cotton bud, or to blast it with the power shower to dislodge it.
I finally perforated my ear drum in September from an infection that went to the middle ear. Anyway, I got my ears vacuum cleaned on Thursday and was told by the ENT doctor to use a pharmaceutical grade olive oil spray (not drops) every day forever to stop the wax clogging. So let’s hope that works.
I think I was given peroxide based ear drops once when I was 12 or so, but it made my jaw swell so much I couldn’t even eat.
SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 days ago
I think nothing but if it gets too much get it taken out professionally. I’ll have to recheck tho
Num10ck@lemmy.world 3 days ago
try dipping the ends in cold water first
TeamBrett@lemmy.world 2 days ago
I went to Amazon and got an ear wax removal tool. It has an arm with a soft latex scooping tip and a camera and a light. It has wifi and you hook it up to your phone so you can see the camera. I was having custom ear plugs made and I needed to get things squeaky clean. It worked surprisingly well and is the best way to clear things out completely imo. It’s also pretty interesting to see what is going on in there. I also have a little syringe thing I keep in the shower to use on a more regular basis.
bitchkat@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Bobby pins.
Fleppensteijn@feddit.nl 2 days ago
I switched to just using toilet paper. Not sure how much safer it is.
Bogan@lemmy.world 2 days ago
I do that too, but I twist it into a screw and then twist it in my ear and it pulls the gunk out.
Lev_Astov@lemmy.world 2 days ago
It’s called the Q-spot.
tatterdemalion@programming.dev 2 days ago
BTW if you end up with an impacted ear drum or you just want to deeply clean your ears: peroxide. Just tilt your head sideways and pour it in. Let it sit for a while and it will break up enough wax to dislodge it. You might find that you can hear much better after.
dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
I leave it sit for 23 seconds, then hit it with 1 Tbsp of baking soda and plug the hole.
Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net 3 days ago
Good friend of mine for a bit of fibre stuck in there from the Q tip, it got infected and blew her ear drum…
polysics@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Oo mox
Katana314@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Many people insisting on digging out, others on peroxide. You’re both right.
Use earwax softener in your ears to make the job easier. Then, a day or two later, use a disposable ear cleaning stick, using rotary, not pushing motions. The wax will still be soft and come out much more easily.
That’s gotten huge quantities out for me, saving me from the feeling that I’m underwater.
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 days ago
A squeeze bulb and warm water seem to do the trick for me.
Dozzi92@lemmy.world 2 days ago
For me, water goes in, stays forever. Something that’s happened since I’ve aged. Swam competitively in high school, never had a problem. Now, if I tilt my head wrong in the shower, good luck.
Dumbkid@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Glad I don’t have ear wax build up, never even thought to stick something in my ears, seems scary
yamanii@lemmy.world 2 days ago
It is, I hurt my ears several times every year, had to put medicine on it and everything, now I just go to a doctor once a year to do a professional clean up and it’s all good.
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 2 days ago
one of them anyway
negativenull@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Image