What's Earwax?

What Is Earwax?

Earwax is a sticky substance that’s made in the outer part of the ear canal. This is the area between the fleshy part of the ear on the outside of your head (the part you can see) and the middle ear. The skin in the outer ear canal has special glands that make earwax, also known as cerumen (say: suh-ROO-mun).

After the wax is made, it slowly makes its way through the outer ear canal to the opening of the ear. Then it either falls out or is removed when you wash.

Why Do We Have Earwax?

Earwax has several important jobs:

• It protects and moisturizes the skin of ear canal, preventing dry, itchy ears. 
• It contains special chemicals that fight off infections that could hurt the skin inside the ear canal. 
• It acts as a shield between the outside world and the eardrum. When dust, dirt, and other things enter your ear, the earwax traps them so they can't travel any further.

In most people, the outer ear canal makes earwax all the time, so the canal always has enough wax in it.

How Do I Get Rid of Earwax?

Most kids don't need to do anything special to remove earwax. If you wash your hair regularly, this is enough to keep your ears clean. You also can wipe the outside of your ear with a washcloth.

Never put anything into your ears — not even a cotton swab or your finger. Your ear canal and eardrum are very delicate, and poking can hurt them. Poking may also pack the wax in more.

In some kids, one or both ear canals might make a lot of earwax. Doctors can prescribe special medicines to get rid of the extra wax.