Creating disgust as much as a feeling of satisfaction, an amazing medical video experienced the buzz in a few weeks. It captures the precise moment when an audiologist extracts a cap of ceromen such that Jason, the patient could no longer hear correctly.
“”I can hear now“”
The video, viewed more than 21.5 million times, is curiously technical. After examining Jason’s blocked ear using an otoscope (a magnification tool provided with a camera), to assess the extent of the blocking, the audiologist sets up a small vacuum cleaner. Using a probe, the expert ends up extracting a piece of ceromen from the size of a man’s ear coin … which feels immediate relief.
“Oh my God, I can hear now. What difference! I hear my own voice. It looks like it has increased by 10 decibels”, He is written directly, smiling.
And this is quite possible: depending on the size of the extracted cap, the expert confirms that he had to grow there for … ten years!
Ceromen, a protective substance that can plug the ear
Impressed by video? Our emergency expert, Dr. Gérald Kierzek reminds him, however. “”Ceremen is not dirty. It is a natural substance produced by the glands of the ear canal. Its role is protective: it lubricates, traps the dust, retains the microbes and normally eliminates itself thanks to the movements of the jaw (speak, chew). “
So how are the famous excesses formed? The problem arises when this self-cleaning mechanism is disrupted, promoting the training of a cap, explains the doctor. And several factors can accumulate over the years:
- Excessive production (some make more ceromen than others);
- A narrow auditory duct or tortuous who complicates evacuation;
- Cotton swabs – “This is cause 1”alerts the doctor. They repel the ceromen towards the eardrum, mug it and irritate the skin, which leads even more production;
- Earphones or earplugswhich block natural evacuation;
- Agewhich makes hellish drier and therefore more difficult to eliminate;
- The hair in the conduit, which retain it;
- A dusty environmentwhich stimulates production.
A plug can then be very gradually formed without your knowledge. “”The drop in hearing settles slowly, so that the brain “gets used to” without anyone realizing it. It is often after a shower – when the water swells the cap – that the symptoms suddenly become obvious and annoying. “
Buried ear: discomfort and risks to know
A ceromen cap may seem trivial, but it is not without consequences. The first annoying sign is a drop in hearing, “Called transmission deafness”generally reversible once the cap is removed. But other disorders may appear.
“The pressure exerted on the eardrum can cause tinnitus, these particularly annoying whistles or buzzing. In some cases, the cap also disturbs the inner ear, which causes dizziness and a feeling of instability.“When it becomes bulky and compact, it can even generate pain, sometimes intense, by pressing the conduit walls or directly on the tympanum. Finally, humidity trapped behind the obstruction, especially after a shower, promotes the proliferation of bacteria or fungi, and can lead to painful external otitis.
Exit cotton swabs: how to reduce ceromen?
The best way to avoid the formation of a plug is above all to ban the cotton swabs. “They are actually counterproductive: far from cleaning, they repel the ceromen towards the bottom of the duct and promote the creation of a plug. Cleaning must be limited to the pavilion, that is to say the external part of the ear.” To naturally maintain the duct, it is possible to use once or twice a week for seawater or saline solution available in pharmacy. They soften the ceromen and facilitate its evacuation. “”After the shower, it is also recommended to dry your ears well, either with a towel or with a hair dryer set to a breath of cold air and held at a distance “ also advises our expert. Simple little gestures, which avoid extreme situations like the one that has toured Tiktok.
“People who know that they produce a lot of ceromen also have every interest in programming an annual control visit to their doctor or their ENT, who can check and, if necessary, make an extraction.“”
What you should never do
Dr. Kierzek insists, however, on these bad ideas that we can have in the event of a plug, and can hurt us.
- Never use sharp objects (pin, trombone, key, etc.). “The tympanum injuries and perforations are frequent”;
- Avoid ear candles: ineffective and dangerous (risk of burns and perforation);
- Do not practice your own lavish if you suspect a plug: in the event of a perforated tympanum, this can cause a serious infection.
The good idea? Make an appointment with your doctor or an ENT, to assess and evacuate the wax tenant.