Can anti-cochlear blockage removal spray remove stubborn ear wax instantly?

Hyderabad: An advertisement for an ear wax removal spray is doing the rounds on social media. It claims that anti-cochlear blockage removal spray can potentially break down the toughest ear wax blockages a few minutes after spraying it in the ear.

The product can easily be found on Amazon as well.

The description for the anti-cochlear spray reads, “Anti Cochlear Blockage Removal Spray can not only effectively care for ear piercings and reduce pain, but also instantly clear your ears and restore your hearing. Our formula is designed to dissolve stubborn ear wax buildup and prevent its recurrence, providing long-lasting relief and preventing future blockages.”

Fact Check

NewsMeter found the claim to be misleading.

What is ear wax?

According to WebMD, “Earwax is produced by glands in the ear canal. Although scientists are still not completely sure why we have earwax, it does trap dust and other small particles and prevent them from reaching and possibly damaging or infecting the eardrum.”

Ear wax may build up for two basic reasons:

· The most common cause of impactions is using cotton swabs (and other objects such as bobby pins and rolled napkin corners), which can remove superficial wax but also pushremoves the rest of the wax deeper into the ear canal.

· Hearing aid and earplug users are also more prone to earwax blockage.

For further clarification, we contacted our expert Dr. Priyajeet Panigrahi, an ENT specialist, to debunk the claim. He said, “We have different types of wax dissolvents. This is a kind of spray so it is a good thing but not all wax is the same in form and constituents. So, it may have to be used for a few days till the ear wax gets soft.”

He added, “Ear wax contains sebum from the glands, dead epithelial cells, keratin, and fatty acids. If the keratin and dead cells count is more, the color of the wax is black, often associated with dirt and seen in older people. But if fatty acids are more, it becomes yellowish, usually seen in children. There are many chemicals or natural things that soften wax like almond oil, olive oil, hydrogen peroxide, sodium bicarbonate, paradichlorobenzene, chlorobutanol, turpentine oil, and benzocaine. They soften the wax by saponification of fatty acids and by softening the dirt and killing bacteria. They are available mainly in drops form because it takes 5-7 days to soften ear wax. No agent will work immediately. If there are small amounts of ear wax with no impaction, one can remove them immediately after putting the drops or spray.”