The ear canal is lined with hair follicles and glands that produce a waxy oil called cerumen. The wax usually makes its way to the opening of the ear, where it falls out or is removed by washing.

Wax can build up and block the ear canal. Wax blockage is one of the most common causes of hearing loss.

Ear impaction; Cerumen impaction; Ear blockage

Ear wax protects the ear by:

• Trapping and preventing dust, bacteria, and other germs and small objects from entering and damaging the ear
• Protecting the delicate skin of the ear canal from getting irritated when water is in the canal

In some people, the glands produce more wax than can be easily removed from the ear. This extra wax may harden in the ear canal and block the ear. When you try to clean the ear, you may instead push wax deeper and block the ear canal.

• Earache
• Fullness in the ear or a sensation that the ear is plugged
• Noises in the ear (tinnitus)
• Partial hearing loss, may get worse

The ear may become blocked with wax again in the future. Hearing loss is often temporary, and usually returns completely after the blockage is removed.

Rarely, trying to remove ear wax may cause an infection in the ear canal or damage to the eardrum.

See your health care provider if your ears are blocked with wax and you are unable to remove the wax.

Also call if you have an ear wax blockage and you develop new symptoms, such as:

• Drainage from the ear
• Ear pain
• Fever
• Hearing loss that continues after you clean the wax

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House JC, Lee DJ. Topical therapies of external ear disorders. In: Cummings CW, Flint PW, Haughey BH, et al, eds. Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2010:chap 138.

O'Handley JG, Tobin EJ, Shah AR. Otorhinolaryngology. In: Rakel RE, ed. Textbook of Family Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 19.