Audika Spain, a company that is part of the Demant group, a world leader in the security sectorhearing avalanche, has carried out an internal study with the aim of learning about the hearing hygiene routine among Spaniards. He 20.9% of respondents do not have an ear hygiene routine, while 79.1% of those surveyed do follow it: more than twice a week (45.2%), once a week (27%), every 15 days (4.3%). In addition, the remaining 23.5% of people with hearing hygiene habits only clean their ears when they feel they are dirty. “Maintaining a proper ear hygiene routine is essential for overall well-being. The best are 2 or 3 cleaning days a week. To avoid accumulating excess wax that prevents us from suffering any type of discomfort, infection, ringing in the ears or vertigo, and at the same time it is important to keep a minimum of wax that keeps our ears protected,” says Elena De la Fuente, audiologist at Audika. Despite maintaining frequent hearing hygiene, 37.4% of those surveyed used cotton buds, a item not recommended by doctors because it can compact and introduce earwax at the bottom of the ear causing damage to the ear canal and eardrum.
Soft cloth for good ear hygiene
The ear canal has a natural mechanism where the earwax gradually moves outward. The use of swabs interferes with this process and pushes the earwax in, which can cause orobstructions, irritations and even injuries to the ear. In addition, incorrect use of swabs can lead to perforated eardrums, infections, pain, and temporary or permanent hearing loss. An excessive amount of earwax can clog the ear and lead to pain, infection problems or tinnitus. Therefore, to maintain good hearing hygiene, it is recommended clean the outer ear with a soft cloth. Thus, 13.9% of those surveyed used gauze and 30.4% a towel. Among the answers obtained in this study, other bad habits such as the use of hands, forks, keys or hydrogen peroxide. Some options that Audika does not recommend using at any time, since, if the presence of earwax is notable, it is advisable to go to a specialist for a review.
Protect the ears to avoid otitis and plugs
32.2% of those surveyed have also suffered hearing problems at some time as a result of ear plugs. Around 20% affirm that these discomforts are more pronounced during the summer months, this may be due to prolonged exposure to water. “In summer it is very important protect the ears to avoid otitis and the formation of plugs. For this reason, as a hearing health professional, proper hearing health hygiene is recommended in summer,” says De la Fuente. To which he adds: “I am proud to have helped so many people to maintain a good hearing health along these years. Without a doubt, it is the result of the training and education work that we transmit to our patients, a personalized and detailed orientation that we carry out every day in our centers. The recommendation for those people who think they may have a plug in their ear or are experiencing similar symptoms is to see a specialist as soon as possible so that they can proceed to examine and advise on the best treatment option, as well as not using medical devices without consulting before a medical professional.
