Is it Necessary to Clean Your Ears?

It might seem like a weird thing to wonder about, and most people probably never think about whether or not they should be cleaning their ears. But this doesn't mean that there isn't an answer to the question. 

Is it Necessary to Clean Your Ears?

In short, the answer is no – you do not need to clean your ears. Most people can go their whole lives without ever cleaning their ears and still be perfectly fine. But, in some cases, earwax build-up can pose a problem and lead to infection if left untreated by an audiologist. Cleaning your ears can be useful when it becomes necessary, but this doesn't mean that every person needs to do it on a regular basis.

Earwax Can Be Beneficial

Most people think that earwax is simply waste – and while this may be true, it also performs a number of important functions which you should know about before deciding whether or not you want to clean your ears. 

First off, the skin on the outside of your ear does contain glands that produce natural oils, which help keep your skin moisturized and healthy-looking. This oil mixes with dirt and dead skin cells and becomes earwax.

What's really happening here is that the body is cleaning itself out. When it comes to earwax and the health of your ears, you can think of it as akin to sweat on your skin. It is not necessarily dirty as such but rather serves as a way for your skin to naturally clean itself. 

So, while some people choose to wash their body more regularly than others – generally speaking, people don't worry too much about sweat because that's simply how the body is designed to work. With this in mind, you might want to consider taking a similar approach with earwax and let it do its natural job every now and again!

What are Some Tips for Ear Care?

So, what can you do in order to take good care of your ears? First off, if you spend any amount of time in water, it's important that you dry your ears thoroughly afterward. While this might seem like obvious advice to anyone who spends time swimming or showering – even just walking through the rain can leave water trapped inside your ears. 

It is best to let them air-dry as much as possible for 15-20 minutes before putting anything else near them to avoid trapping moisture inside and causing an infection. Besides making sure not too much water is caught in your ears, cleaning them is just a matter of keeping them dry and free of dust and dirt.