Earwax Removal – Microsuction
Our Services
Price
£60 for one or both ears
If no wax is found there will be a £20 charge for the consultation. Within this we will always endeavour to try and offer advice regarding your ear symptoms.
Home visits are available upon request.
At the start of the appointment we will show you the inside of your ear using a video otoscope and advise accordingly.
Sometimes all ear wax cannot be removed in a single visit. In these cases, we may recommend the use of suitable ear drops for a few days before we undertake a further wax removal treatment. If a second visit is recommended to complete wax removal there may be a further charge for this.
We ask that if possible, you should use olive oil or another form of wax softener for a couple of days prior to your appointment unless you are known to have a perforated eardrum. We can advise on the timing of this at the time of booking if necessary.
Ear Wax Removal FAQ’s
What is earwax?
Earwax, otherwise known as cerumen, is a waxy material that is made by the body to protect the ear canal from germs. It usually passes to the opening of the ear canal by itself, but sometimes it can build up and cause the ear canal to become blocked.
Earwax can build up and cause a blockage for many reasons; these include having naturally narrow ear canals, having harder earwax and being elderly (as earwax becomes drier with age). It can also cause a blockage in people who regularly put things into their ears such as hearing aids or headphones, or alternatively people who attempt to clean their ears with cotton buds.
If the ear canal becomes blocked with earwax, common symptoms include hearing loss, a feeling of fullness or pain in the ears, itchiness, tinnitus, vertigo (a feeling of spinning) or frequent ear infections. It can also prevent people from receiving proper treatment elsewhere as it may not be possible to see the eardrum fully.
How can ear wax be removed?
There are a number of different methods that can be used to remove ear wax, but two of the most common are ear syringing (otherwise known as ear irrigation) and ear microsuction.
At Complete Ear Care we have chosen to use ear microsuction (ear suction) to remove excessive earwax, and would never use ear syringing for the reasons explained below.
What is microsuction?
Microsuction is the process of using gentle suction or vacuum to safely remove earwax while keeping the ear canal under constant observation. This minimises the risk of causing any injury to the ear canal or eardrum and makes the procedure more comfortable. Microsuction is also a procedure that is safe to be performed in some people with perforated eardrums (holes in the eardrum).
Microsuction is increasingly becoming the preferred method of earwax removal in the health sector for the above reasons, and is the method that is used in Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist clinics when removing excessive and impacted ear wax.
Why not ear syringing?
Ear syringing involves pushing water into the ear canal under pressure to try and dislodge any earwax stuck in the ear canal. This isn’t done while viewing the ear canal.
Because the ear canal is kept under constant observation during microsuction, one major benefit of microsuction over ear syringing is that there is less risk of damaging the ear canal during the procedure, which can lead to pain and infection. Ear syringing can also lead to vertigo (a spinning sensation).
Ear syringing is also considered to be unsafe to be performed for people with holes in their eardrum, and unfortunately sometimes this isn’t known at the beginning of the procedure as if the ear canal is full of wax it can be impossible to see the eardrum.
What do we use to perform the procedure?
At Complete Ear Care we have chosen to use a piece of equipment called the Vorotek O Scope to view the ear canal and eardrum during the microsuction procedure. This is a portable version of the type of microscope that is used in Ear, Nose and Throat clinics. The main advantage of the O Scope over traditional loupes is that it offers full depth perception in the same way as a clinic microscope does. This reduces the risk of any injury to the ear canal or eardrum.
We also use a portable clinic grade suction machine that has been modified for use to remove earwax along with a selection of single use instruments to remove excessive ear wax from the ear canal.
Do I need to do anything before my appointment?
In the days prior to your appointment, we ask that if possible you use olive oil drops (or an alternative earwax softener), as this can be helpful and can reduce the already minimal risk of side effects from the procedure. This is especially important if you believe the earwax has been there for some time. If you are known to have a perforated eardrum (hole in the eardrum) then it may not be advisable to use an earwax softener – please contact us if you would like to discuss further.
What will happen at my appointment?
After you have met your clinician, we will start by asking you some simple questions relating to your ear health as well as any other relevant medical problems. This is to ensure that earwax removal by microsuction is a safe and appropriate treatment option for you, although in reality there are very few reasons why we would not be able to perform the procedure.
Following this, we will examine your ear canals to assess how much wax is present, before moving on to start the earwax removal. This is performed by viewing the inside of the ear canal using a microscope (the O Scope) and looking through a small cone shaped instrument called a speculum. We will then gently remove the wax using the suction equipment. The procedure is usually quite straightforward, although this may depend on how much earwax is present and how hard it is.
Following the procedure you should be okay to continue with your day as normal, and would not require any routine aftercare.
Are there any side effects?
Wax removal by ear microsuction is generally considered to be a very safe procedure, however as with any procedure it can carry a very small amount of risk. There are a number of possible side effects, although most of these are very rare.
The most common side effect is dizziness; this happens due to changes in temperature inside the ear during microsuction. This is a temporary effect and should not last very long after removing the earwax.
As with any procedure there is a risk of infection, although this is very rare. All of the pieces of equipment we use to remove earwax are either single use or sterilised appropriately, making the risk of infection very small.
Because the microsuction procedure involves putting a small tube into the ear canal, there is a slight risk of trauma being caused to either the ear canal or eardrum. This can be as a result of small movements by the person having microsuction performed. Rarely this can result in a perforated eardrum.
The suction machine used during microsuction does generate some noise. In rare cases this can result in something called a temporary threshold shift, which is where there is a short-lived change in hearing; this occurs where the body is protecting itself against noise. There is also a very slight risk of tinnitus developing, or changes in pre-existing tinnitus.
