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Why Putting A Q-Tip In Your Ear Doesn’t Do What You Think

 

Will Culpepper
Considering the dangers, the manufacturer warnings, and the fact that no doctor has ever recommended it, nobody really knows for sure how attempting to clean ears with cotton swabs even started. The Washington Post traced the evolution of the product’s marketing, noting that the popular Q-tip brand was originally invented for the purposes of gentle baby care, and eventually included the idea of cleaning the outside of the ear in their ads. Deep cleaning in the ear canal was never part of the plan, although warnings against the attempt didn’t start to appear until around the 1980s or 1990s.

“OK,” we can hear you saying. “But I’m careful. I’ve never punctured my eardrum before, and I’m certainly not going to start now.” While that might be true, those more dramatic injuries aren’t the only risk you’re running. It turns out, you’re actually interrupting your ear’s natural cleaning process.

It’s true. That earwax we all hate? It’s actually called “cerumen,” and its entire purpose is to help clean, protect, and oil our ears for our health and safety. When you try to clean it out, you’re not only preventing it from doing its job, you’re also probably just pushing it deeper into your ear, where it can clog up and cause harmful impactions.

Don’t believe us? Curious to learn more? Watch this video from Geobeats below!

Are you finally ready to stop using cotton swabs this way? Be honest— how often do you perform this harmful-but-common “hygiene” practice? Did you learn it from your parents? Tell us your thoughts!

Source: Tiphero.com