What is earwax made of and what is its function

Our ears are incredible sensory organs and they work incredibly hard, along with the brain to identify the soundwaves that we come across in our environments on a daily basis. The ear canal is where the sound waves are funnelled before being passed onto the middle and then the inner ear for processing and interpretation. It is within this ear canal that we can experience issues with the ear. When there is a build-up of earwax it can affect our hearing and it is often necessary to search for Ear wax removal near me to have this build-up safely removed.

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Ear wax or cerumen as it is scientifically known is a yellowish, waxy substance that is produced by glands within the ear canal. It is made up of a number of different components. These include:

  • Sebum – this is an oily substance that is produced by sebaceous glands and helps to keep the ear canal moist and prevents it from drying out and becoming irritated and itchy.
  • Sweat – there are small sweat glands in the ear canal and this sweat can find its way into our ear wax. Again the sweat helps to keep the ear and its surrounding skin in the perfect condition.

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  • Dead Skin Cells – we are constantly shedding skin cells and this also occurs in the ear canal. As the skin cells shed they become a part of the earwax that builds up in the ear canal.

It is important that if you find that ear wax is becoming a problem you seek professional help to remove this. You should not attempt to remove this yourself as it can lead to hearing issues.