The myth of Q-Tips?
 

Today, a doctor told me that Q-tips, aka cotton swabs, are NOT a good way to remove waxy buildup from one's ears. In fact, Q-tips might even be the CAUSE of said waxy buildup.

Can anyone confirm this?

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

i dont see how they could possibly be the cause.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

Well then how are you supposed to remove the wax?

With your finger?

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

I have also heard this. If you think about it it makes sense because when you push the q-tip in the ear it compacts most the wax.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

a doctor told me this as well. I think his exact words were, "the smallest thing you should be putting in your ear is your elbow"

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

[ QUOTE ]
i dont see how they could possibly be the cause.

[/ QUOTE ]

From what I understand after having some problems with ear wax, q-tips are bad because most people use them improperly and jam the wax further down into their ears, eventually causing problems. If you only use them on the outside areas of the ears you are safe, but as soon as you start entering the ear canal, you can cause problems.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

This is true. You actually push the wax farthe into the ear canal and eventually the eardrum can become obscructed. Of course this varies between people; some folks don't get much build-up, even using q-tips for years. One of my ears actually got totally blocked a few years ago, partially from using Q-Tips. Now I don't use them anymore and I haven't had more problems.

Swede

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Well then how are you supposed to remove the wax?

With your finger?

[/ QUOTE ]

Get your ears flushed, or put drops in the ears to help dissolve the wax.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

I wonder how many people have been murdered by the Q-Tip people in the coverup of this discovery

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If I can't use Q-Tips, I don't want to live.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

LOL when you put your elbow in your ear OOT wants pics!

Big Steve [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

TME,

lots. be careful or you could be next.

regards,
nl

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

So, I had the (dis)pleasure of living with a girl in my last semester of college. One of the stranger things I had seen her pull out of her bag of tricks is something called an "Ear Wax Candle," and they're supposed to do the trick. The few times that I saw the end result, it actually did pull out a lot of what was in the ear.

http://www.relfe.com/Images/ear-candle-1-200w.gif

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

This is true, from what my doctor told me. I was completely deaf out of my left ear for a week and hwen I went to the doctor to find out why, he said that I pushed the wax back in with the Q-tip. He then flushed out my ear and I was fine.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

I prefer Q-tipping to masturbation.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

That must have been one incredibly waxy ear. Wow.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

[ QUOTE ]
This is true, from what my doctor told me. I was completely deaf out of my left ear for a week and hwen I went to the doctor to find out why, he said that I pushed the wax back in with the Q-tip. He then flushed out my ear and I was fine.

[/ QUOTE ]

Same thing happened to my grandfather. I also beleive his doctor gave him the "smaller than your elbow" line that Euro heard as well.

A friend of mine said that when she visited Ireland, she couldn't find Q-Tips anywhere. Are cotton swabs an American thing?

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

[ QUOTE ]
This is true, from what my doctor told me. I was completely deaf out of my left ear for a week and hwen I went to the doctor to find out why, he said that I pushed the wax back in with the Q-tip. He then flushed out my ear and I was fine.

[/ QUOTE ]
Same thing happened to me in college. It's pretty impressive how much wax can get crammed into such a small place.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

A couple coworkers have gone to the doctor to have their ears flushed/cleaned out, and they both said that it was amazing how much got yanked out of their ears and how much cleaner they felt.

I am still scared to try it, though.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

[ QUOTE ]
A couple coworkers have gone to the doctor to have their ears flushed/cleaned out, and they both said that it was amazing how much got yanked out of their ears and how much cleaner they felt.

I am still scared to try it, though.

[/ QUOTE ]
what are you scared of ?

having your ears rinsed out at the doctors is pretty much awesome.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

[ QUOTE ]
A couple coworkers have gone to the doctor to have their ears flushed/cleaned out, and they both said that it was amazing how much got yanked out of their ears and how much cleaner they felt.

I am still scared to try it, though.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's how I feel about colon hydrotherapy.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

They said it was uncomfortable, and I'm a big pussy.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

Doctors, like the rest of the human race, also deal with a high percentage of the foolish and the clumsy. It's very possible to clean the ear with Q-tips well, if you use your head and have a bit of patience. It's definitely not the thing to do if you're one of those dudes who rolls up a gigantic ball or toilet paper and in a panic wipes his ass with a few strokes and then bolts from the toilet. You actually have to pay attention.

For one thing, put the damn thing in very slowly and carefully. For another, use several Q-tips and use the first ones to just dab about and pull out any rinds or loose particles of ear wax with just very light contact. For another, apply pressure outward, not inward. You don't want to be packing and grinding stuff inward and downward. For another, some people will never manage to master such things and just grind away. And for another, you have to do this by feel, so parents doing it for their kids, or anyone doing it for someone else, is much more likely to botch it.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

i thought this was common knowledge.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

[ QUOTE ]
They said it was uncomfortable, and I'm a big pussy.

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i think it feels good. it's just a steady flow of water pulsating into your ear for a minute or so, it doesn't hurt. but i have weird ears so maybe that's not normal to like it.

plus it's always fun to look at the globs of wax that came out.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

The Candle rules.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

im a med student, one of the less displeasing things i have to clean out of people is impacted cerumen (earwax) due to q-tips, they can also cause infection because they break the skin surface and let bacteria penetrate into the tissues beneath

however knowing all of this i still use them

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

the real soft qtips suck. i like the harder ones since they are more abrasive so they clean better.

i love waiting like a month then going to town. its like the best feeling.

Candling is BAD
 

The following info is stolen from this site

CANDLING has gained popularity in recent years. In this technique, a candle is placed in the ear canal. The wick is lighted and the candle is allowed to burn for a short period of time. Supposedly, the burning flame creates a vacuum at the other end of the candle, which can suck wax and other evil humors from the canal. When the candle is removed, the base of candle typically will appear dark brown, leading the person to believe that their ear wax has been removed by candling.
THIS IS A HAZARDOUS AND INEFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE! Hot wax can burn the external ear, and if any gets into the canal it can cause a painful burn, infection, or even a perforation of the ear drum. One could conceivably set one's hair or clothing on fire. REMEMBER: Just because it's ALTERNATIVE, it isn't necessarily GOOD!
(You don't believe me? Check the links on my candling page.)

Link to candling page: here

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

[ QUOTE ]
i thought this was common knowledge.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope. I had no idea and am not going to be cleaning my ears out w/ QTips again. I've been meaning to go to an ENT for a nasal dripping problem, so I'll get the wax sucked out when I finally get around to making that trip.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
i thought this was common knowledge.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope. I had no idea and am not going to be cleaning my ears out w/ QTips again. I've been meaning to go to an ENT for a nasal dripping problem, so I'll get the wax sucked out when I finally get around to making that trip.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ha, this thread had the opposite effect on me. I'm cleaning out my ears as I type this. It feels so good.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

I know I should quit, but I can't. It feels so damn good. I think I'm addicted.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

When I shower I just turn my head sideways and let the water run into my ear. I find this more pleasant than q-tips and I would guess that it's more healthy, although I don't know if it is or not. Should I be worrying about any adverse side effects of hot water :P

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

[ QUOTE ]
When I shower I just turn my head sideways and let the water run into my ear.

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I doubt that's an effective way of cleaning out your ear, but sounds enjoyable anyway.

Apparently, going to a doctor and having him flush the crap in your ear out with a syringe is the way to go. Then he puts some "softener" in there. I'm crestfallen to learn that Q-tips are a scam. Might try draino.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

Confirmed.

Flush your ears.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

i make my living as an audio engineer...so my ears are pretty essential. i can tell you from experience that Q-tips suck. using them can irritate your ear as well as running the risk of impacting the wax. if you have an abnormal amount of wax...use some ear drops, or have a doctor flush them out.

once i tried to use a Q-tip and ended up totally blocking up my left ear. i had to mix 4 concerts that week with only one working ear before i had time to see a doctor. no fun.

jon

Re: Candling is BAD
 

I've never heard of the candle. Coning is something I've heard of. Supposed to be safe. Not sure if it's the same thing.

Not worth much, but I've used Q-tips for years w/ no problems. In fact when I had my hearing checked (I wear hearing aids) they used a camera and said I had the cleanest ears they've ever seen.

Re: Candling is BAD
 

Never a problem for me either.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

Back here in the hills of Mississippi, we just get a grub worm by the tail, and stick his head in your ear. He'll do the rest.

Re: The myth of Q-Tips?
 

Shane,

You don't see me going on medical message boards and saying that you suck at poker. Please think about your posts in the future as this one really hurt my feelings.

Thank you,
Q.T.