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FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to ear wax, it's best to leave it alone, new national guidelines state.
While many people feel they need to remove ear wax -- technically called cerumen and a mixture of secretion, hair and dead skin -- it is actually protective since it has lubricating and antibacterial properties, said Dr. Peter Roland, an ear specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He chaired a panel that released new guidelines Friday from the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.
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The guidelines are the first comprehensive clinical recommendations meant to help health-care professionals identify patients with impacted wax and treat them properly. Panel members reviewed scientific studies and sought expert opinion to create the guidelines.
"The conclusion is that the mere presence of ear wax does not require anything," Roland said. If the ears are functioning, and there is no problem, most people should do nothing. And that includes resisting the urge to use a cotton-tipped swab to clean out the ear, he said.
Using a swab can actually drive excess wax in further, he said, and then medical attention is often needed to remove it.
Certain people need to pay more attention to their ear wax status, he said. Those who wear a hearing aid, Roland said, "are much more likely to develop problems with ear wax." That's because the hearing aid "prevents the ear from doing its job," which is to clean out excess ear wax naturally.
As people age, ear wax problems are more common, too, he said, with those over age 65 more likely to have problems than younger people.
The guidelines, composed by a panel of experts from otolaryngology, family medicine, internal medicine, audiology, pediatrics and nursing, included some key points:
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