Ear wax. What is the function of ear wax?

Ear wax, also called earwax or cerumen, is produced by the sebaceous glands that are found in the ear canal of the outer ear. The sebaceous glands produce this cerumen at an acidic pH in order to protect the ears from dust and microorganisms that can affect hearing, causing infections.

Some people's sebaceous glands may produce more wax than necessary. In this case, there is an accumulation of wax in the ear canal and the person may have conduction deafness, which is when there is something blocking the passage of sound from the outer ear to the inner ear. When this happens, a doctor should be sought to properly remove excess wax from the outer ear canal.

Removing ear wax can be dangerous, as inserting something into the ear canal runs the risk of puncturing the eardrum. In addition, the removal of earwax leaves the middle ear and inner ear at the mercy of organisms that can develop there causing infections such as otitis. The more wax is removed from the ear, the more wax the sebaceous glands produce, and the lack or excess of wax in the ear can cause diseases such as eczema of the external auditory canal, mycotic external otitis and exostoses and osteomas of the external auditory canal.

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Doctors recommend that you clean only the auricle, which is the outer part of the ear, and that you avoid placing it in the ear canal. flexible rods, pen caps, keys, among others, because these objects can lead to an ear infection, otitis.

Paula Louredo
Graduated in Biology

Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:

MORAES, Paula Louredo. "Ear wax"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/biologia/cera-do-ouvido.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.