From WebMD:
June 5, 2000 -- One thing you definitely don't want to do is get rid of all your earwax. Earwax isn't dirt. It's a normal secretion that protects your ear, just the way other kinds of wax protect your car.
If water gets in your ear canal -- while you're swimming or taking a shower, for instance -- earwax will cause the water to bead up and move away from your eardrum. Then the slipperiness of the wax encourages the water to run out of the canal. In addition, earwax is slightly acidic, which discourages bacterial or fungal growth in the moist, dark ear canal. Without earwax, it would be much harder to avoid ear infections.
In a way, it's part of a self-cleaning system. Most people don't need to do any ear maintenance at all. Earwax slowly migrates toward the opening of the ear canal and is sloughed off. If you want, you can take a washcloth and, using your finger, gently wash the opening of your ear.
Whatever you do, don't poke a cotton swab into your ear. A swab may remove a little wax, but it's also likely to push some deeper into the ear canal. Because the canal is hourglass-shaped, earwax can create a plug that won't come out on its own. Most of my patients with impacted earwax created the problem themselves with cotton swabs.
A small minority of people do produce unusually large amounts of earwax. If your ear canal keeps getting clogged, you may need to see your doctor occasionally to have it removed. Most physicians use jets of carefully-controlled water to rinse out the ear canal and remove impacted wax. Ear specialists use a magnifying scope and a small instrument to remove wax.
Can you do it yourself? Sure, though it's a good idea to check with your physician first. Removing wax on your own is not recommended if you have a history of ear infections or other ear problems such as a hole in the eardrum.
To remove excess wax, you'll need a kit of wax-dissolving drops and a rubber bulb syringe, both of which are available at almost any pharmacy. The kits usually come with instructions, which you should follow carefully.
Remember not to use cotton swabs in your ears, and the chances are they'll take good care of themselves.
