What causes the sulfur plug in the ear?

Very often patients who come to the ENT doctor with complaints of stuffiness in the ears, can hear a strange diagnosis: "Sulfur jam." Then, with the help of simple devices from the ear canal, a brownish lump is removed, and the hearing is greatly improved. Those patients who are predisposed to the formation of sulfur plugs in the ears, the doctor recommends visiting the clinic once a quarter for their timely removal. Experts do not recommend cleaning their ears at home, as the risk of complications such as traumatizing the tympanic membrane, getting foreign bodies into the ear and developing otitis is great.

How does the sulfur plug form in the ear?

Excessive accumulation in the ear canals is often caused by an abnormal hormonal background. But most often the sulfur plug in the ear is formed as a result of improper cleaning of the ear canals. If a person tries to remove accumulation with a cotton swab, he can even more tamp them into the ear canal. The natural secretion of sulfur is difficult, it becomes viscous, parts of the epidermis fall into it, and this dense mass presses more and more against the eardrum. This is how the cork is formed in the ears. Until it closes the entire ear canal, a person lives and does not suspect that he has such accumulations. But as soon as you wash your head or when you bathe on them a little water gets, the sulfur plug in the ear swells, blocks the auditory passage and the person stalls. In this case, you need to see a doctor.

Ripe corks in the ears. Treatment

If the mass in the ears is sufficiently dense, the doctor will advise first to soften it. To do this, take 3% hydrogen peroxide or glycerin solution, warm it to room temperature and drop a few drops into the ear. The procedure can be done sitting or lying, it is important that the ear looks up, and the liquid poured into it a little bit stood there. The procedure is repeated 3-4 times for three days, then the patient again comes to the doctor to remove the sulfur plug. You can remove it at home, for this use a strong shower jet or syringing. The upper part of the auricle is pulled back and a stream of warm water, furacillin or solution of potassium permanganate is fed into the ear. After such manipulation, all the accumulations from the auditory canal are almost completely washed away.

The gray cork in the ear. Delete

If, as a result of the above procedures, all the accumulations from the auditory canal have not been removed, then you must go to a re-appointment to the doctor. In the clinic, a specialist at the otoscope's eye will clean the sulfur residues with the help of miniature tools or by washing. To do this, the most commonly used syringe is Janet and a warm solution of potassium permanganate or furicillin.

The causes of the sulfur plug in the ears

Very often, the cause of excessive accumulation in the ear canals is congenital anomalies of the auditory canals. The appearance of sulfuric cork can also provoke a foreign body. Often this condition occurs in people who are trying to remove accumulation from the ears with a cotton swab. Doctors-otolaryngologists unanimously declare that this should not be done in any case, in fact, in addition to pushing sulfur inwards, the use of cotton buds can cause damage to the tympanic membrane.

To understand this, it is necessary to study the mechanism of the formation of the plug in the ear canal. Sulfur in the ear is formed not without reason, in the human body it has its own well-grounded functions. Namely, it has a bactericidal effect, lubricates and protects the tender skin of the ear canal from litter and dust. So do not be too fanatical to remove sulfur from the ear canal, especially in such a barbarous way, like a cotton swab, a match or a pin. Nothing in our body is superfluous.