Impacted Ear Wax

The surgery does not carry out syringing of the ear

Blockages

The amount of ear wax produced varies from person to person. You are more likely to develop a blockage of wax in the ear canal if you are:

Using cotton ear buds to clean the ear wax . This can cause the ear wax to be pushed deeper into the ear canal.
Wearing a hearing aid, ear plugs or use in-ear-speakers . These can all interfere with the natural ear wax expulsion.
If you are elderly the ear wax produced tends to be drier and harder.
Dry skin or problems such as eczema or psoriasis.

The following needs to be done 2-3 times daily for 14 days:

Lie on your side with the affected ear uppermost.
Pull the outer ear gently backwards and upwards to straighten the ear canal.
Put 2-3 drops of either olive oil or bicarbonate of soda liquid into the affected ear and gently massage.
Stay laying on your side to allow the oil/bicarb to soak in for around 10 minutes.
Do not put cotton wool in your ear as this will extract all the oil/liquid that has been administered.
When showering/bathing, allow the warm water to enter the ear. This will often dislodge any remaining wax.
Afterwards, wipe away any excess liquid.

Please seek advice from your GP or nurse and do not attempt to self treat if any of the following apply to you:

Pain, sudden deafness or buzzing in the ear.
A history of ear drum perforation or if you have had previous surgery in the affected ear.
Symptoms of infection in the ear. This would usually be pain or a smelly discharge.
Foreign body in the ear.

Ear syringing is not usually recommended as it carries a 1:1000 risk of complications, such as infection/perforation of ear drum and tinnitus.

Suction clearance can be performed locally for a charge by a specialist ENT surgeon at a private Clinic. You do not need a GP referral for this.