
People with dry earwax lack a chemical that makes sweat smell.Įarwax buildup can happen to anyone. In addition, people with wet earwax are more likely to need deodorant. People of Asian, East Asian and Native American descent overwhelmingly have dry earwax. People of European and African descent overwhelmingly have wet earwax. There's another interesting thing related to having wet or dry earwax. You should also contact your healthcare provider if you see blood or if your earwax is quite obviously black. If your earwax is more of a discharge, like it contains white or greenish pus, or you find it caked on your pillow after sleeping, you should contact your healthcare provider. It is more likely to contain dust and has had more exposure to the air. Generally, in either case, darker colored earwax is older earwax. Dry earwax is likely to be whitish or gray in color and is flaky. Wet earwax comes in a range of colors including light yellow, honey-color, and orange-brown. First you have to consider if you have wet earwax or dry earwax. Healthy earwax comes in a range of colors, but sometimes color does have meaning. A buildup of earwax might also make it difficult to see into the ear, which may result in potential problems going undiagnosed. These symptoms might include hearing loss, ear irritation, etc. If left untreated, excessive earwax may cause symptoms of earwax blockage to become worse.

What are possible complications of earwax buildup and blockage? This only pushes the earwax farther into the ears and can also cause injury to the ear.

Earwax buildup and blockage often happens when people use items like cotton swabs or bobby pins to try to clean their ears. It’s important to note that most people might never need to clean their ears. We say that earwax is impacted when it has built up in the ear canal to such a point that there may be signs that something isn’t quite right. What does it mean when earwax becomes impacted?

Ear wax removal skin#
Earwax is made up of dead skin cells and hair that is combined with the discharge from two different glands. When it reaches the outside of the ear, it flakes off.Įarwax is produced in the outer part of the ear canal, not deep inside the ear. Most of the time, the old earwax is moved through the ear canal by jaw motions like chewing while the skin in your ear grows from the inside out. The ear wax has both lubricating and antibacterial properties. Earwax, also called cerumen, is made by the body to protect the ears.
