Is Microsuction the Best Method of Earwax Removal?

Man inserting a hearing aid

If your ears feel blocked or you are experiencing difficulty hearing, that’s probably because of ear wax build-up. Wax is produced by our ears in order to protect the eardrums from debris and dust, which would otherwise lead to ear infections.

Usually, earwax falls out by itself; however, it can sometimes become hard and additional ear wax sticks to it and becomes pushed deep into the ear canal (this happens frequently when using hearing aid, ear phones and ear plugs). If this scenario occurs, you need to consider ear wax removal and book an appointment with Deeside Ear Care.

Which Method is Best for Earwax Removal?

There are different methods for earwax removal, such as; ear irrigation, microsuction, or earwax removal using ear drops (and not ear candling). Among all the available methods, the microsuction method is the best and most effective method of earwax removal.

Ear Wax Removal using Irrigation

In the past, large metal syringes were used to ‘syringe’ water at high pressure into the ear. This procedure helped in flushing out the wax. These hand-held syringes produced variable water pressure into the ear, which produced a wide range of complications such as; external ear infections, middle ear infections, and eardrum perforations.

These days, the method of ear syringing is carried out using irrigation machines that apply a safe and more controlled pressure through ear irrigator tips. Still, this method leads to a wide range of ear complications and increases the likelihood of ear infections. That’s why microsuction for ear wax removal is regarded as the best and most safe method for ear wax removal.

This treatment is less widely available than other techniques because the equipment is more expensive for clinics to purchase.

This guide will let you know how the microsuction method helps remove ear wax and why this method is regarded as the most effective and safe method for ear wax removal.

What Is Microsuction?

Microsuction is an ear wax removal process in which the clinician removes the ear wax using a suction device with am attached small nozzle while looking into your ear.

Before starting the procedure, the clinician looks into your ear canal using an otoscope. This process helps in finding the blockage in the ear canal. The clinician uses a tiny vacuum to provide suction and dislodge the wax during the procedure.

The treatment has become more popular because it is safe and pain free and produces outstanding results.

The likelihood of wax accumulating in your ears increases significantly when you insert external objects such as cotton buds, earphones or hearing aids.

What does Research Say About the Ear Syringing Method?

There isn’t much research available on the effectiveness of earwax syringing. However, a case study was performed in 90’s where 312 General Practitioners treating a population of 650000 patients in Edinburgh were surveyed. The conclusions drawn from the data are listed below:

85% of the practitioners offer earwax syringing, but only 19% of the doctors actually perform the procedure. The GPs usually delegate the procedure to the nursing team or health care assistants (HCAs)

In 29% of the cases, ear syringing failed to remove the earwax
In 17% of cases, ear syringing procedure resulted in middle & external ear infections
In 15% of cases, eardrum perforations occurred
In 11% of cases, external ear canal trauma occurred

Considering these complications and ineffectiveness, microsuction is regarded as the best and safest procedure for earwax removal—the GPs and receivers of this method claim that microsuction produces the best results with no complications.

Benefits of Microsuction Over Other Earwax Removal Methods

Microsuction is a risk-free procedure and and has many plus points over syringing. Some of the benefits of microsuction are:

Microsuctioncan be carried out even in the presence of eardrum perforations
This technique is safe for debris and wax removal in the presence of external or middle ear infection
Complication rates are much less for microsuctioncompared to ear irrigation
The microsuctionprocedure does not produce any incidents and minimises the risk of ear infections
Microsuctiondoes not cause eardrum perforations
The failure rate is much less in the microsuction earwax removal process compared to other treatment methods

The above reasons are why we at Deeside Ear Care use this method for ear cleaning and ear wax removal in Aberdeen.

Mark Buchan