Learn More About Proper Ear Care
Don’t Insert Small Objects into Your Ears
Cotton swabs and Q-tips should never be used to clean your ears! These objects can cause infections, injure your ear canal, or even puncture your eardrum. They also can push the wax you’re trying to remove deeper into your ear canal.
Practice Safe Ear Cleaning
External cleanings are safe to perform at home and simply require warm water and a washcloth. If you feel the need to clean deeper in your ears, you should visit a local audiologist to have them professionally cleaned.
Periodically Visit Your Audiologist
Audiologists can help diagnose any underlying causes of hearing loss and provide tips for keeping your ears healthy for years to come. They can also safely remove ear wax buildup or cure any irritation you may be experiencing.
Use Sunscreen on Your Ears
Many people disregard their ears when applying sunscreen. It is critical that your ears also be protected to reduce the chance of skin cancer spots from forming. If you don’t have sunscreen, try to keep your ears covered with hair, hats, or any other accessories that can provide protection.
Bring Hearing Protection to Loud Areas
You can experience hearing loss caused by noise. If you know you’re going to a loud area such as a concert, an area with fireworks, or a place noisy heavy machinery will be used, you should bring ear plugs or noise-cancelling headphones.
Bring Gum with You on Planes
Chewing gum, swallowing, and yawning can all help you reduce the chances of getting airplane ear while traveling. There are also some specially fitted ear plugs that can be used to equalize the pressure you feel when changing altitudes quickly. Lastly, a decongestant can be used to reduce that muffled, stuffy feeling if you’re boarding a plane while sick.
Take Proper Care of Your Hearing Aids
If you already wear hearing aids, you should be taking proper care of them to ensure they do not cause any more damage to your hearing. Visit our blog page to learn more about the steps you can take to properly care for your hearing aids.
If you’d like to schedule an appointment with one of our audiologists for a hearing test, call us today!