How to remove foreign objects from the ear

The ear is our organ for hearing sounds. It is a semi-open space. Sound enters the ear through the ear canal and is converted into signals through sound waves. Then we can recognize the sound we hear. The ear canal is the passage into the ear and there is no protection around it. Sometimes foreign objects enter our ears. If there are foreign objects in the ear, how should we remove them? Let’s learn more about it with the editor below.

Foreign bodies in the ear are mainly caused by children's curiosity or mischief, and foreign bodies such as cotton and gauze are also left in the external auditory canal by accident.

Although there are many types of foreign bodies, they are generally divided into two types: non-animal foreign bodies and animal foreign bodies. The former are mostly found in small glass balls, small metal toys, fruit cores, paper balls and beans, while the latter are mostly mosquitoes, bedbugs, small cockroaches, etc. Large foreign objects can cause hearing impairment, tinnitus, ear pain and reflex cough: beans swell when exposed to water and can irritate the skin of the external auditory canal, causing inflammation, erosion and infection; when foreign objects are lodged in the bony part of the ear canal, there may be severe pain; when animal foreign objects enter the ear canal and crawl and scratch. Unbearable tinnitus and ear pain.

Once a foreign object is found in the ear, you should generally go to the hospital to be treated by a doctor. Because there is only a thin eardrum at the end of the external auditory canal, it can easily be scratched and cause infection. When medical treatment is not possible, the method of removing the foreign body can be determined based on its nature, size and location, and the following methods can be used for treatment:

1. If it is a non-animal foreign body, you can try jumping on one foot a few times and lower the affected side, which may also jump out the foreign body.

2. If water enters the ear, you can tap it as above or gently insert a cotton swab into the ear to absorb the water.

3. When small foreign objects enter the ear, they can usually be removed with tweezers. Beans that swell after contact with water can be first dripped with 95% alcohol to shrink them after dehydration before being taken out. Small round glass balls can be taken out with special instruments, but not with tweezers, in case the foreign objects are pushed deep into the body.

4. If an animal foreign body enters the ear, you can first drip sesame oil or other oils to drown the animal, or drip 70% alcohol or ether to paralyze it and then take it out. Or you can use an electric light close to the ear to shine on the external auditory canal, or blow cigarette smoke into it to lure the insects out.