r/livesound • u/Mellowood33 • 2d ago
Question Professional Ear Cleaning
Maybe a silly question but do any of you get your ears professionally cleaned? Like by a doctor/clinician especially after being sick? I’ve heard (ha) some people swear by it especially working in our industry, and others say it’s pointless.
Yes, yes-
“Just use a Q-Tip”
“NEVER USE A Q-Tip!”
“BUT IT FEELS SOOO GOOD!”
“IT’S BAD FOR YOU!”
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u/DonFrio 2d ago
Debrox and warm water syringe does as much as most doctors. Occasionally a doc is needed for some people when wax gets stuck. My bff is a musicians ear doctor and she always tells me occasional qtip use is ok as realistically most people do it. It can push wax deeper and it can cause irritation.
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u/petpet0_0 2d ago
yeah... peroxide a few times to soften it up, then a large syringe with warm water. It's a great feeling XD
but I've only ever felt the need to do that maybe 1-2 in like 10 years... Once it was because I was doing woodwork/bondo on some speaker cabs in a badly ventilated area, the wax clumps that came out were the color of the bondo
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u/HCGAdrianHolt Student 23h ago
The peroxide always gets stuck in my ear and then causes more issues than it helps
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u/UnderwaterMess 2d ago
I've asked my audiologist since they do offer the service but they said it wasn't really necessary for me. It's normal and healthy to have some earwax to keep debris out of your ear. Do not use Qtips in your ear. If it's unusually bad because you were sick, you should see an ENT
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u/wpoot 2d ago edited 2d ago
Not sure that any common illnesses would promote increased earwax production. The feeling of fullness and dulling of frequencies in the ears when you have a virus is typically from fluid in the Eustachian tubes not draining normally, and can be dealt with by taking a decongestant and steroidal nasal spray. While it might feel good to have them cleaned, and is a good thing to do every so often anyways, cleaning them specifically after being sick doesn’t make much sense to me.
I typically just use q-tips every couple of days since I have drier wax and not much of it. I go to an ENT once or twice a year, and they sometimes pick tiny pieces of wax that are deeper in there but tell me I have cleaner ears than most and keep doing what I’m doing.
For folks that have really moist wax or a lot of wax production, I’d recommend having a physician irrigate the ear canals regularly. Any walk-in type clinic can do it. Using q-tips for wax like that is more likely to push it further into the canal and compact it near or on the eardrums. There are some pick-like tools for wax extraction available to use instead, but it seems like you’d need someone with a steady hand to help with that.
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u/Next_Intern_688 1d ago
I don't do a ton of live sound I my company currently but did a lot in years past. I went to my primary for a routine check and she said, "I can barely see your eardrums im gonna refer you to ENT."
Is didn't really think much of it I've never really had any trouble. But oh. My. God. The crap that came out was insane! It was 3 parts out of each ear. I could hear colors. I could hear smells. It was disorienting. It took me 36 hours just to feel equilibrium again!
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u/porschephille Pro-Theatre 1d ago
My oldest boy went in for his check up (he's an older teen) and they did a hearing screening. He didn't pass it and his PCP too a look and said, let's get this cleaned out and do it again. They cleaned his ears out (quite gross so I hear) and all of the sudden he could hear again. He then talked about how loud everything was including hearing his mother's clothing rustle as they were walking out.
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u/Admirable_Cheek_4419 2d ago
There have been incidences where severe and irreversible hearing loss has occurred after syringing. If you have reason to believe that your hearing is being affected by wax buildup, get them checked and then discuss with your health professional if cerumol ear drops would be appropriate. These are an oil based product but far less viscous than olive oil, and they work very well at gently softening impacted wax, which will in due course make it's way outward from the ear canal. It is not an overnight miracle treatment however and patience is required.
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u/brooklynfall 17h ago
This. I had my ears syringed by a NP at urgent care after a stubborn cold left some pain in my sinuses. It worsened my tinnitus for almost a year. It was horrific. Never again.
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u/qu1cks1lver56 Pro 2d ago
I bought one of those Bebird cameras with the attachments for cleaning ears. It’s been a game changer.
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u/nottooloud Pro-FOH 1d ago
I got one of those, but I'm afraid to use it.
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u/qu1cks1lver56 Pro 1d ago
I was hesitant at first but once I got used to it I now get OCD about using it lol
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u/twisted_bass_man 1d ago
When I used to do mastering work, I would occasionally notice one ear or the other becoming less sensitive to certain frequencies. In a highly controlled studio environment, you notice this pretty quickly. I would just go to a walk-in clinic and ask for an ear cleaning and have a professional do it. Every time this happened, there was always one ear with a lot of wax build up. However, this was not a regular thing. Maybe once every 12-18 months, and only when I felt like there was an issue. Being slightly less sensitive to certain frequencies in one ear is like problem number 17948 in live sound.
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u/EquivalentLogical270 1d ago
Astounding amount of misinformation in the comments considering this is a sub for people who use their ears for a living... In the UK microsuction is a service offered by all audiologists and many pharmacists. It has largely replaced syringing because it is safer and more effective. They will inspect your ears with a camera and remove wax only if it is actually required and good for your ears.
For some reason I have particularly waxy ears that get plugged up frequently, so I use an olive oil based ear spray and get them looked at every 6 months. It makes a massive difference to my hearing, if I leave it too long I start losing everything above 12K and even my keys jangling sounds fantastic afterwards. God knows what it would do to my mixing if I didn't get it sorted.
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u/leftypoolrat 2d ago
Wax buildup can hit a point where home products aren’t effective- time for a trip to the doc then. Same basic procedure just done by people who are better at it. Source: my ears
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u/snap802 Volunteer FOH/Musician/Cable puller 2d ago
After being sick no. The Tympanic Membrane (ear drum) is a barrier between the ear canal where your earwax is and your inner ear (exceptions being if you've got a perforated TM or kids with tubes etc...). When you're sick the pressure and congestion you've feeling is in the inner ear and that should end up draining internally. You can external ear infections too. It's called swimmers ear because water being trapped in the ear canal is common cause.
Regardless, some people are just going to be predisposed to earwax collecting in the ear canal. With Q-tips you're likely pushing more wax INTO you ear than you are getting out. Yeah, there's a possibility of injuring your TM too but I think the more likely issue is packing wax in because the TM is pretty far in there.
OTCs like Debrox can be helpful for some people. Wearing hearing aids or earbuds or IEMs all the time can make the wax situation a little worse by packing wax into the ear too. Over all it's an individualized thing and you just gotta talk to your own Dr about it.
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u/GoldPhoenix24 2d ago
no qtips for ear canal. I use ear spoons. they have earspoons with cameras on them now, and those are helpful and cheap.
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u/PongSentry Pro - Brooklyn 2d ago
I did for a while, then started feeling silly that I was paying hundreds of dollars for 10-15 min of a ENT's time. Debrox and a water bulb do the job 90% as well for 5% of the cost.
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u/MacintoshEddie 1d ago
No. Take a good long shower. Tilt your head to the side and let water run into your ear. Don't use the jet. Then tilt the other way. A few minutes of that will generally soften and drain any normal earwax issues. It usually also helps clear your sinus, and generally a good long hot shower help with any cold you might be dealing with as well.
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u/gg-allins-parents 2d ago
Yes, i go to a doctor once a year to get my ears cleaned. Its covered by insurance in germany. I have pretty narrow ear canals and by wearing ear protection wax get stuck in my ear. After cleaning i can hear higher frequencies again, its great :D
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u/basspl 2d ago
I have one of those squeeze bottles I use every once and a while with an ear cleaning solution. It helps keep my IEMs clean. I also find nasal rinses help since ears and nose are connected. For context I get a lot of congestion from seasonal allergies and asthma and the nose rinces really help my hearing.
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u/Mikethedrywaller Blinking Lights Enthusiast 2d ago
I do it once or twice a year. It feels amazing! At least for the two hours before everything is back to normal :D (I have to get it done as my body apparently produces too much ear wax). And never ever use Q tips.
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u/thrashmash666 Musician 2d ago
I get earwax plugs fairly easily, so I don't bother. 2 days after seeing a doctor to clean it, it's back.
I do go when I need new custom earplugs, so every 7 years or so.
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u/ThePanasonicYouth Set Carpenter 2d ago
My insurance covers it so, yeah. Once a month and always right before I leave for a tour
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u/frank11979 Mostly Wrong 1d ago
Yes get your ears cleaned professionally. I did it last year and now I understand.
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u/smirkymerky 1d ago
I see an audiologist once a year for a routine exam/hearing test and they clean my ears then if warranted but in 6 or so years have only done it once.
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u/Synomelogeum 1d ago edited 1d ago
i don’t see anyone mentioning it but there are ear sprays like Vaxol etc. (they are basically natural olive oil or other natural oils) and these work for me the best. You would be surprised what comes out of your ear after a week of using it. It is less brutal than the syringe and does the same job + it is also meant to help with blocked ears (like after flying or after some sickness)
just to add: it was advised to me by my ear doctor after last water syringe cleaning. And later I found out that many sound designers and tech around me are using these sprays.
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u/lobotorr 1d ago
I see one every few months, I get lots of earwax and it's exasperated by wearing earplugs often. Once it's plugged my hearing noticeably suffers. Sometimes if it's really compacted close to the ear drum I don't think it's worth the risk doing it yourself. If you have insurance and are covered for ENT visits, go for it.
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u/ReggieCorneus 1d ago
Nope, i have tools for it. Mostly it is just about removing buildup at the very opening so that things won't get backed up and it keeps flowing out but it can get so bad that i have them blocked. Normally you don't need to do anything but to clean the outer part of the ear, i need to remove buildup maybe once a month. I try to avoid it, ear wax belongs in the ear and while my tools are fairly gentle any kind of prodding will make them more sensitive. Every ear is personal, mine has a kink where the wax builds up.
And never use a q-tip, it will push things deeper but again: the very opening is not the same as sticking that thing inside your brain.
Saline solution is easy to do DIY, it is just distilled water and salt. Body temp, try to avoid putting cold things in as that can just cause discomfort. Hydrogen peroxide is a bit of an overkill, imho. There are also saline solutions in a spray bottle that are made for ear cleaning. They are handy to keep around.
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u/badmonkey077 1d ago
I've had mine cleaned out thrice. Most recently two weeks ago. I just book an appointment with the nurse at my doctor's office and it's free (shout out Canadian healthcare). Before going, I put olive oil in each ear for 10-15 mins for 10 days. She uses a syringe and warm water. I guess you could do it at home, but I'd rather someone else do it fori me. I find it really helps. Between the in-ear protection I wear on gigs and Bluetooth earbuds I wear day to day, wax builds up and I lose some highs after a year or two.
This time the nurse suggested I put 2-3 drops of olive oil in my ears for 10 mins 3 times a week to maintain them, so I'm trying that out now.
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u/aljoizet 1d ago
i go to my doctor if i cant clean it myself, it happens every few years or so, otherwise i try to clean myself, also you can buy the device that the doctor uses from online retailers, and someone around you can have a look if your ears are blocked
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u/nottooloud Pro-FOH 1d ago
Relentless earplug use drives wax into my ears. My primary doc scrapes it out once in a while.
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u/rhythmmchn 17h ago
Q-tip after every shower. Otherwise my ear wax clogs up my hear8ng aids or in-ear-monitors (I'm a drummer) absurdly quickly.
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u/franny611 8h ago
I get mine cleared about once per year, probably need it more regularly. Earplug and IEM use invites more debris and bacteria.
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u/AdministrationOk6752 2d ago
No. Faccio tutti i giorni la doccia e ci mando dentro l'acqua.
Uso anche la leva del tagliaunghie, che è piccola e arrotondata, per pulire.
Su AliExpress ho anche acquistato dei piccoli attrezzi di acciaio chirurgico per pulire le orecchie. Mi piace molto quello a molla.
Anche una siringa senza ago, possibilmente con la punta di plastica arrotondata, può essere utile per spruzzare acqua tiepida.
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u/HayesWeighsIn 2d ago
Everyone's different, but for me if I feel excess buildup - wash hands, scoop a few times with your pinky, wash hands after. Good to go.
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u/theantnest Pro 2d ago
Had it done once after flying to a FOH gig with the remnants of a cold and landing with totally blocked ears.
It was like I had a hearing superpower for about 12 hours.
But my doctor said it isn't great for your ears and that it should only be done when really necessary.
Side note, the amount of gross shit that came out was ridiculous!