EAR ME OUT
A TIKTOK post has gone viral suggesting you’ve been cleaning your ears wrong your whole life.
It shows a woman called Ayisha pouring hydrogen peroxide into her ears while laying on her side, letting the product “sizzle” away.
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After waiting around ten seconds, Ayisha flips her head the other way and lets the gunk ooze out of her ear onto a towel.
The clip has been viewed 14.7 million times, and liked by 2 million.
And it's not the first time the method has gained popularity online, with another user gaining 1 million likes trying it out.
The idea of using something called “hydrogen peroxide”, a mild anticeptic, in the ear canal sounds both terrifying and toxic.
But some experts say it’s actually the correct way to clean the ears.
Dr Tonia Farmer, MD, an ear, nose, and throat surgeon from Warren, Ohio, told BuzzFeed: "I use peroxide in my office to assist with earwax cleaning almost every day. It's generally safe to use in the ear canal."
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Dr Tonia recommends putting five to ten drops of hydrogen peroxide into the ear canal, laying down for five minutes. Then, you should sit up and tilt your head so the peroxide and wax can run out of your ear.
She added: “However, I stress that peroxide shouldn't be used if there is a hole in the eardrum from a perforation or ear tube."
Farah Kiani, an audiologist from Hidden Hearing, said she would not recommend hyrogen peroxide.
She told The Sun: "I don't think it's a good idea. Because hydrogen peroxide can cause skin irritation and blistering."
Ms Kiani said people may have no idea they have a perforated ear drum - a hole or burst ear drum - and this could make it worse.
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Phil Day Superintendent at Pharmacy2U said: "Using Hydrogen peroxide is not recommended. It can cause skin irritation and blistering.
"At higher concentrations it can even cause burns. Using hydrogen peroxide can irritate the skin inside the ear, leading to inflammation and earaches.
"A similar product, Urea Hydrogen Peroxide 5% is used to help loosen hardened ear wax. It is available to buy from a pharmacy after answering some simple questions to check it is appropriate."
Do you need to clean the ears, and how?
Medical grade olive oil is recommended by the NHS along with almond oil.
All you need is three drops and the NHS states that you should use a dropper or pipette while lying your head on one side for a few minutes to let the oil work its way through your ear canal(s).
It’s advised to do it for three to five days and only if you feel your ears are blocked.
"Over about two weeks, lumps of earwax should fall out of your ear, especially at night when you're lying down," the NHS says.
There’s something very satisfying about cleaning the ears.
However, it is not actually necessary, as ears are self-cleaning. If there is too much earwax, it will naturally fall out on it’s own.
The ears need a certain amount of wax in order to protect the ear canal from bacteria.
Asked if people need to clean their ears, Ms Kiani said: "No. What I would recommend is people get an audiologist or doctor to check they have wax.
"The trained professionals talk about what your safe options are."
She said if you have excessive wax build up or concerns relating to your hearing, you can book an appointment at your local Hidden Hearing centre.
How you should not clean your ears
Most people are used to sticking a cotton swab into the ear and wiggling it around.
But if you haven’t heard already - experts never recommend using these.
Phil said: "Using Q-tips or cotton swabs is not recommended. They are often used as an easy and convenient method to remove ear wax but can actually cause more harm than good.
"Using Q-tips or cotton swabs can push wax further into the ear canal, which can cause impaction, discomfort, or a rupture in the ear drum."
Cotton buds or “Q-tips” will soon be banned in England anyway, because the billions of plastic sticks used every year are not environmentally friendly.
The health watchdog National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) also warns against using ear syringing, which involves a large metal syringe being used to pump water into the ear to clean out wax.
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Both methods of cleaning the ear are "potentially harmful and should not be used".
The NHS also says “there's no evidence that ear candles or ear vacuums get rid of earwax”.
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