Feb 05 2009
How Ear Wax Is Formed
The Formation of Ear Wax
Ear wax contains sebaceous material and the products of the ceruminous glands which line the outer one-third of the ear canal. It has a waxy consistency and varies in color from yellow to brown. Excessive buildup of ear wax also can cause problems…chronic ear-ache…..
Ear wax contains sebaceous material and the products of the ceruminous glands which line the outer one-third of the ear canal. These secretions combine with desquamated skin and hair to form wax, about which many patients develop an obsession. Wax varies in color and consistency, and its production appears to be partly controlled by circulating catecholamines. It is normal to have some cerumen in the ear canal. Wax provides protection to the skin and also possesses bactericidal activity. Ear canal epithelium migrates outwards, providing a natural cleaning mechanism for desquamated tissue and cerumen. Attempts to clean the ear by a patient invariably force the ear canal contents deeper into the meatus. Wax impaction therefore is a common cause of hearing loss. If water enters the ear, the desquamated keratin expands, often trapping fluid in the deep meatus. This may cause an otitis externa unless the plug is removed.
Ear wax can be secreted in one of two forms. Wet wax is produced by most people of African origin and is familiar as moist, sticky and honey colored. The dry type is more common in Mongoloid ethnic groups and tends to be greyer in color, less sticky, granular and brittle. The gene for wet wax is dominant. Regardless of type, ear wax tends to become drier with age as a result of reduced glandular numbers and activity. Wax is then normally loosened by transmission of movement from the temporomandibular joint from chewing or talking, allowing its passage out of the external auditory meatus. This natural process can be upset by a number of factors and cause ear wax impaction.
How Ear Wax is Formed?:
Ear wax, is formed on the concave side of the base of the auricle and in the external ear canal. It is a mixture of the secretions of the sebaceous and ceruminous glands. It has a waxy consistency and varies in color from yellow to brown. The secretion of the sebaceous glands being gray to white and that of the ceruminous glands being brown, the color of ear wax varies with the relative contribution of each. A thin layer of ear wax is normally present in the areas where the glands are located and sometimes small lumps are found at the base of the auricle at the entrance to the ear canal. The odor of ear wax is usually described as aromatic, but if the skin of the base of the auricle and the ear canal is inflamed, the production of ear wax can be increased and its composition can be changed. An increase and alteration in the bacterial flora can change the appearance of the ear wax and give it a more penetrating odor. When combined with pus and detritus, its appearance and odor may become overwhelming and repulsive.
Primary inflammatory disease of the middle ear mainly causes pain. It is usually unilateral and appears to be severe. The animal shuns petting of its head and loses alertness and appetite. Hearing loss is to be expected but is almost never mentioned by the owner. If the inflammation is ruptured, there can be purulent discharge from the external ear canal.
Problems with Excess Ear Wax:
Excessive buildup of ear wax also can cause problems. Some signs and symptoms of ear include:
- Dizziness
- Loss of hearing
- Nausea and vomiting
- Chronic ear ache
- Bleeding or discharge from the ear
- Swelling or redness
- An object visible in the ear
Removal of Ear Wax:
Meatal occlusion, impaction, irritation, hearing loss or otitis externa and clinical inspection of the eardrum are all indications for removing wax. The simplest method is to syringe the ear. Tap water at body temperature is used. The pinna is lifted to straighten the ear canal and the water jet aimed at the roof of the canal, never directly at the eardrum. The canal and drum head must be examined afterwards. Patients who have perforations should not have their ears syringed. Curetting wax from the canal requires a good light and a cerumen scoop or hoop. In difficult or refractory cases a microscope and sucker may be used in outpatients, or under general anesthesia. Hard impacted wax may need to be softened with topical ceruminolytic ear drops prior to removal.
| By Jayashree Pakhare Published: 2/5/2008 |
Dr Adam Taor; 24/1/09; ; What are they and what do they do? Ceruminous glands live in the greenhouse of your body — the damp, dark, warm caverns that are in our ear canal.
Did you know that the lining of your outer ear has modified apocrine glands called ceruminous glands? These modified sweat glands produce ear wax. Ear wax is thought to preven fef t foreign material from entering your ears, including insects.
Earache, while not a dangerous condition, usually causes a lot of discomfort and pain. Most sufferers admit that it occurs more during night or while sleeping than at any other.
Types - Causes of Ear Infections
Earache is a common health disorder for both adults and children. There are two types of ear infections. The most common infection in ear occurs in [otitis extrema] outer ear, in the middle ear [otitis media].
His entire ear canal was completely closed off. The guy probably thought he was going deaf. ^Not earwax? What do you suppose it was instead? It did look like maybe a lost bee was using the ear as his own personal honeycomb perhaps.
However, if the ear is not able to clean itself anymore, you will suffer from hearing problems caused by impacted cerumen or wax. Approximately two to six percent of the population can suffer from ear wax impaction at any time.
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