Earwax, good!There's a reason for the goo. Earwax is a self-cleaning agent, with protective, lubricating and antibacterial properties, doctors say.
That's why tiny glands in the outer ear canal constantly pump out a watery substance, which gets mixed with bits of dead hair and skin and together is called earwax or cerumen. Excess earwax normally treks slowly out of the ear canal, with an extra boost from chewing and other jaw movements, carrying with it dirt, dust and other small particles from the ear canal. Then, dried-up clumps of the stuff fall out of the ear opening.
When this natural earwax train malfunctions, or when individuals poke around in their ears with cottons swabs or other foreign objects such as bobby pins or matchsticks, earwax can build up and block part of the ear canal.
Oh, this part isn't so good ...
Older adults are more prone to earwax buildup then younger individuals.
"The wax gets much thicker and drier, and plus you actually end up with more hair in your ear, when you're older, and so it traps it," Roland said.
Great, yet another reason to avoid growing old ... ear hair!
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2 comments:
Well, then one of us needs to do a test of all those ear/nose hair trimmer thingys in the As seen on TV kiosk at the mall. Some to think of it, I have yet to see most of that stuff on TV.
If I test them, that means I acknowledge the issue. I can't be doing that. Or, if I have, I'm not going to admit it publically. :P
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