16yr old. Excessive ear wax/blocked ears. Any advice?

[maldivemoment]

Hello. Our 16yr old is sadly plagued with excess ear wax & blocked ears. He’s a typical 16 yr old so plays it down most times.

However we’re just back from holiday & he was almost teary on the flight (landing) with the pain. Gave it an 8 out of 10.

That was a few days ago. He’s been out swimming (open water) with his friends today and has returned with blocked ears. Again got a bit teary when I was putting ear drops in (Otex. To soften the wax.) He says the drops are sore. Info leaflet says they should not cause pain, just a bit of discomfort perhaps.

(Apologies if this is over sharing but on the plane, when he was trying to clear his ears, he removed some wax & it was a pretty unpleasant smell)

He tends to get his ears syringed every 4/6 months but I’m wondering if we should do this more often?

Just wondering if anyone has any advice re treatment/suggestions for excessive ear wax. I would be most grateful to hear. (No pun intended!)

Many thanks in advance.

Could he have Microsuction instead of syringing. I think it’s more effective. Also if they are getting blocked up, going more frequently would be better. Eg every 3/4 months so they don’t get too bad.

Also Otex is quite harsh. It’s not generally recommended by the NHS I don’t think. You can get medical olive oil or bicarbonate of soda drops which are less harsh. Saying that though Otex is more effective.

I’d take him to the gp to check there’s no infection then book him in for micro- suctioning. As pp said it’s considered a better treatment than syringing

I get mine suctioned (they don’t do syringing unless really needed now) and she said to use these olive oil drops in between going. Mine happen every few years though. Every few months must be awful. Id see if you can get a referral

Also it’s recommended that you shower with vaseline soaked cotton wool in your ears to stop the water going in. No idea if that’s effective or not though.

I would be very careful with micro suctioning. A friend has been left with severe tinnitus in both ears after having it done.

I've seen the opposite recommendation for waxy ears. They benefit from warm water to flush them out (obviously assuming intact eardrums)

I don't enjoy the short term sensation of water deep in my ears but it's better than when I stop it from getting in and they start to get blocked and itchy.

He needs to see a doctor if there is pain

Thank you all for your kind, if conflicting, words of advice.

He’s a typical teenage boy who meets most things with ‘it’s fine…’ until it’s not. Hence here we are.

He’s complaining of pain when swallowing this evening so I’m going to attempt a GP apt tomorrow. Might need to lie tho, as last time when I phoned to get him an apt due to blocked ears I was told that didn’t meet the requirements and I should make private apt to get his ears syringed. I’m ready for this battle if I’m met with the same response tomorrow!

Thank you once again.

I did a quick google search and it also says to run hot water in the shower in your ear. I think this conflicting advice is due to when they are really blocked, water can get stuck behind the wax, hence trying to avoid water in the ear. Also you should avoid water in the ear if they are infected I believe.

Re not being able to get a GP appointment, I would say you are concerned he’s got an ear infection due to the pain. If he gets ear infections due to the wax you might be able to get treatment on the NHS rather than having to pay privately. The hospital near me sees patient’s for micro-suctioning.

@NorthernSouthern many thanks. Everything crossed for a GP apt today.

I would advocate Earol. It's olive oil spray.
I microsuction ears as a side line.
Best advice is start with a clear ear canal and use Earol weekly/bi weekly to help prevent wax build up

I want to add, any drops or sprays that contain peroxide or bicarb are to be avoided. They dry the wax out

@Mydogisagentleman 👍🏻

If the wax is really smelly it sounds like an infection.

Tell the GP you are concerned about infection.

microsuction is considered safer than shringing.
many opticians that offer audiology do that.
they check for inflammation and refer to gp if needed.

if dc swims a lot look up if swimmer's ear fits the symptoms https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/health-information/otitis-externa

@beigetriangle thank you. Incredibly helpful link.

Op does he use in ear earphones? My son was getting frequent ear problems and it was due to excessive air pod use

@bonkersbongo ah, yes. Constantly got his air pods in!

Get rid of the ear pods and use over ear headphones. My son at 16 had the same problem. It was a chronic ear infection, and he eventually had microsuction in the ENT dept at hospital . Anxiety can make wax production higher too. My son then got rid of his ear buds of his own accord.

@user1469565563 whaaaaat? Anxiety can increase wax production?!?! Who knew?
He is a pretty anxious kid so this also makes sense.

He’s also a thoroughly wonderful human being so hoping we can get on top of this and make things a little better for him.

To add, my 17DD has suffered with blocked, waxy ears for years and I didn’t take it seriously enough to begin with, (thought she was just moaning!) She recently had micro suction and it was a great success.
My takeaways were : she has naturally narrow ear canals, so will likely need a follow up maintenance visit in a couple of years.
He strongly advised against using ear drops. Apparently they make the problem worse.

Thank you @R0llonspring

My head is now spinning a little with the drops/no drops, water/no water, syringing/suctioning advice 🤪 although I’m very grateful for everyone sharing their experiences.

Microsuction is great, Specsavers do it provided there is no infection. Id keep him away from open water swimming for a while too, its very easy to pick up an ear infection that way.

Sounds like a multi-pronged strategy needed!

• See doctor
• No in-ear headphones.
• Drink plenty of water!
• Olive oil drops in ear.

I've personally found that:

• Swimming helps (I think the water softens the wax).
• Using cotton buds to remove build up helps (not advised due to risk of compacting / infection - but I find it helps to get it out rather than in).
• If flying use Halls soothers on take-off and landing to keep airways open to prevent pressure build up (combination of sucking and swallowing plus the menthol).
• Avoiding loud environments. I find I get more wax when using loud tools or a gig or loud pub. I suspect loud headphone use would have the same effect.

I had a full syringe once. I suspect I was blocked for years before because everything was much louder and clearer afterwards! Perhaps get a hearing test now to see how the hearing is.