About ear wax

What is ear wax?

The bodily process of producing ear wax is completely natural. For many people ear wax goes unnoticed and does not cause any complications. However, it is estimated that between 1.3 to 3.9 million people in the UK alone experience impacted ear wax build up, also known as ‘cerumenosis‘. Impacted ear wax build up can lead to many symptoms such as a ‘blocked ear’. Although a blocked ear can be as a result of a number of different ear and health-related problems, it is a common ear wax symptom and a frequent reason why people have their ears cleaned and cleared.

What is ear wax?

‘Cerumen’ as it is medically known, is a natural substance produced by the ear canal of humans and many other mammals.

It is yellow or brown in appearance and secreted by specially evolved ‘cerumenous’ and ‘sebaceous’ glands found on the skin lining the cartilaginous portion of the ear canal, which forms the outer third of the ear canal. The inner two thirds of the ear canal is made up of bone.

Ear wax can be described as being either being ‘wet’ or ‘dry’. The type of wax you have is usually genetically inherited and determined by the varying amounts of the many different organic compounds that make up wax. These include: dead skin (keratin), cholesterol, squalene, alcohols and long chains of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids. Other factors such as diet, age, race and environment can all also influence the type of wax you have. For example, dry wax is more prevalent in older people whilst wet wax is more common in African and European people.

Image: ‘Wet’ type human ear wax

Image: ‘Dry’ type human ear wax

Although the exact function of wax is not yet fully understood, it is believed to play a role in the cleanliness, hygiene and overall health of the ear: