The dangers of frequent ear cleaning revealed

In daily life, cleaning ears is something many people do frequently. The media had previously reported that a man in Chengdu developed a papillary tumor in the external auditory canal due to long-term ear cleaning. So, does frequent ear cleaning really cause cancer?

"Generally speaking, picking your ears will not lead to papillary tumors in the external auditory canal," said Yi Shijiang, a resident physician in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical College. "This disease is more common in Europe and the United States, but less common in my country."

Feng Shibin, chief physician of the Department of Otolaryngology at Guilin Second People's Hospital, said that external auditory canal papillary tumors are only likely to occur after excessive ear cleaning, damaging the external auditory canal or eardrum, causing otitis externa or otitis media, and then after long-term stimulation. The possibility of this happening is not high.

The two doctors also emphasized that although frequent ear cleaning may not necessarily cause cancer, it will destroy the acidic environment in the ear canal and is harmful to health. The earwax commonly spoken of is called "cerumen" in medicine. It is a weakly acidic substance that emits a odor that insects don't like. It prevents insects from flying in and protects the skin of the ear canal. It is best not to pick it out frequently. Some earwax clumps together and clog the ear canal. Try not to dig it out by yourself. Instead, go to the hospital and have a doctor perform professional cleaning.