Think Twice Before Cleaning Your Ears

Okay, maybe exercise some caution instead, if you don’t want to think twice. According to experts, you really don’t have to regularly clean your ears. Dr. Kris Jatana, M.D., says that it might do us more harm than good because the ear canals are usually self-cleaning. Ear wax actually works to protect your ears from dirt and dust while keeping the inside of your ear moisturized: 

As Dr. Kris Jatana, M.D., told MedicineNet, "The two biggest misconceptions I hear as an otolaryngologist are that the ear canals need to be cleaned in the home setting, and that cotton tip applicators should be used to clean them — both of those are incorrect." 

"Using cotton tip applicators to clean the ear canal not only pushes wax closer to the ear drum, but there is a significant risk of causing minor to severe injury to the ear," Jatana warned. According to ear specialist Dr. Yu-Tung Wong, doing so may bring on punctured eardrums and hearing loss. "In severe cases, the cotton swab can damage many sensitive structures behind the ear canal and cause complete deafness, prolonged vertigo with nausea and vomiting, loss of taste function, and even facial paralysis," he told Cedars-Sinai.

Image via Health Digest