Doctor explains why you should never clean your ears with cotton swabs

The risk of using cotton buds

Dr. Amir Khan, a general practitioner, shared his concerns about using cotton buds in the ears.

“One thing I never advise is the use of cotton bud sticks to clean the ears,” he said.

He stated that while it might feel nice to clean your ears this way, it pushes the wax deeper into the ear canal.

Instead of removing earwax, you may be blocking it, which can lead to more serious problems.

One major risk is that pushing wax deeper can cause a blockage.

When earwax builds up, it can lead to hearing loss and discomfort.

In some cases, it can even cause pain or infections.

Dr. Khan also mentioned the danger of accidentally damaging the eardrum while using cotton buds.

This could result in painful injuries that may require medical attention.

“It may feel good to stick a cotton bud inside of your ear and it may come out with a little bit of wax on which makes you feel like you’ve cleaned it, but all you’ve done is push that wax further down your ear.

“Which risks the wax completely blocking the ear, or worse, damaging the drum.”

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