"Do-It-Yourself" Ear Canal Care

Donald Tan; Jacob B Hunter

doi:10.1016/j.otc.2023.06.009

"Do-It-Yourself" Ear Canal Care

Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2023 Oct;56(5):869-879. doi: 10.1016/j.otc.2023.06.009. Epub 2023 Aug 5.

Authors

Donald Tan¹, Jacob B Hunter²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 2001 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
² Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 925 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19017, USA. Electronic address: Jacob.Hunter@jefferson.edu.

PMID: 37550106
DOI: 10.1016/j.otc.2023.06.009

Abstract

There are a large variety of over-the-counter home remedies and devices for cerumen impaction available in the United States. It is a challenge for clinicians to maintain awareness of the safety and efficacy of these tools, as they are not considered "medical devices" and frequently have no requirement for demonstrating safety or efficacy. This article provides a broad overview of the products being advertised to patients and discusses considerations when recommending home cerumen maintenance.

Keywords: Cerumen; Cerumen impaction; Ear cleaning; Ear cleaning devices; Ear cleaning products; Ear wax; Home cerumen remedy; Home ear care.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Cerumen
Ear Canal*
Ear Diseases*
Humans