Earwax is a little sticky and a little gross, which is why most of us try to clean it out the second we spot it. However, doctors say that instinct is backward. Earwax isn’t a hygiene failure; it’s your ear’s built-in security system. Earwax — medically called cerumen — isn’t leftover gunk. It actually has a job to do. Otolaryngologists (ENTs) say earwax is there to be protective. One of the least known things about earwax is that it’s bacteriostatic, meaning it makes it harder for bacteria to grow. Earwax is also slightly acidic, helping protect against infections in the ear canal, as well as maintaining the delicate balance between beneficial and harmful microbes. In addition, earwax keeps things that shouldn’t be in our ears out — dirt, bugs, and other objects that don’t belong there. So, with all the benefits of earwax, do we need to clean our ears? The answer is mostly no. Our ears are designed to clean themselves. “I tell people a lot of times that ears should be like ovens — self-cleaning,” said Dr. John Seibert, Associate Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
