Ear candle therapy, is it safe to clean earwax?

The wax in the ear does not have to be cleaned regularly because the body has the ability to push the wax itself out. However, now there is one way to clean wax in the ear is by doing therapy ear candle. This therapy has now mushroomed everywhere, whether it's in beauty clinics, spas, or salons. But, is this therapy safe to do?

What is therapy ear candle?

Ear candle is an ear cleaning technique in which the therapist will insert a hollow, conical wax into your ear opening. The wax used in this therapy is a special wax about 20 cm in size made of linen covered with wasp nest, paraffin or a combination of both. These candles also usually contain chamomile and sage which will provide a relaxing effect.

Here are the steps to doing therapy ear candle:

• You will need to do this on your side so that the candle can be inserted into your ear.
• So that the wax does not hit the skin, a perforated plate is needed for the wax to enter.
• Once positioned in such a way, the candle is lit for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• After finishing the treatment, the therapist will show you the wax that was successfully removed from your ear.

Apart from cleaning the ears, this treatment is also claimed to have several other benefits such as reducing sinusitis, overcoming hearing problems, colds, headaches, improving blood circulation to relieving stress.

Is it safe to clean your ears with ear candle?

Although this treatment is claimed to have many health benefits, unfortunately, until now there has been no research that states that this therapy is effective in clearing earwax.

According to the American Academy of Audiology, there is no scientific evidence that ear candling is able to draw out wax that is in the ear. This is based on measurements made in the ear canal before and after therapy ear candle.

The measurement results show that the wax in the ear has not decreased. The researchers actually found that there were flakes of ash that had deposited as a result of burning candles.

Not only that, some researchers even consider that therapy ear candle this is just a myth. The discharge that the therapist shows after doing the therapy is actually the residue of burning wax, not wax in your ears.

If left unchecked, the remaining burning will mix with earwax that has accumulated and becomes dry. Over time, this will disturb your hearing.

In conclusion, it can be said that ear candle is a treatment that is not recommended for cleaning the ears.

What are the risks and dangers of therapy ear candle?

As explained above, ear candle could have harmful consequences for you. Here are some of the treatment risks ear candle what you should watch out for:

• Irritation or infection on the outside of the ear
• Temporary hearing loss
• This therapy can cause serious injuries, such as burns and irritation to the face, eardrums, and even the inner ear.
• Damage to a blocked eardrum
• In addition, the wax that drips into the ear can also harm the area around the ear, and can even risk bleeding in the ear.

How to clean the ears properly and safely?

Please note, the ear is one of the organs that is very important and sensitive. That is why you need to be careful in choosing a safe way to clean your ears.

After reading the explanation above, you can decide thatear candleis not a safe way to clean your ears. In fact, earwax actually has its own way of getting out of the ear without you having to pick it up.

This earwax will come out by itself in the ear lobe with the dust thanks to the push of the cheek muscle mechanism when you chew food.

Here's how to clean ears that are safe to do:

1. Do not dig your ear too deeply

So, you don't need to take the risk of scraping your ear up to the middle or deepest part of the ear. You just need to clean the earlobe or outer ear only.

2. Do not use any tool to pick the ear

If you continue to scrape earwax, especially by using tools, such as cotton bud, the wax will actually be pushed into the inside of the ear. As a result, wax cannot come out and instead settles in the ear.

This deposited dirt will harden and help so that it will clog the circulation in the ear. This is what is often one of the causes for the reduced quality of a person's hearing.

3. Consultation with an ENT doctor

If the wax in the ear has hardened and disturbs your hearing, or if you are already doing ear therapy candle and experiencing earache symptoms, immediately consult an ENT doctor for help to clean the ears safely.