Aftercare: looking after your ears after wax removal

Most people need no special aftercare once their ears have been cleared. Hearing is usually sharper straight away, everyday sounds may seem loud for a day or so, and any slight tenderness or itch settles within a few days. Keep your ears dry, leave them alone for a while, and contact the clinic or your GP if pain, discharge or hearing loss gets worse instead of fading.

What's normal straight after ear wax removal

The first thing most people notice is the noise. A tap running, keys on a table, the rustle of a coat, your own voice: after weeks of muffled hearing, everything can sound bright, tinny or slightly too close. Nothing is wrong. Your brain had quietly turned up the volume to make up for the blockage, and it takes a day or two to settle back.

Other after-effects are usually small and short-lived:

• A cool or exposed feeling in the canal after microsuction, because the suction draws air past skin that has been covered by wax for some time.
• Light-headedness for a minute or two. Air or water moving in the ear can briefly stimulate the balance organ next door.
• Mild tenderness, particularly if the wax was hard and stuck to the canal wall.
• A spot of blood now and then, if the thin skin was grazed. A clinician will normally tell you if this happened.

Some people also cough during treatment. A small branch of the vagus nerve supplies the ear canal, and touching it can set off a tickle in the throat. It stops as soon as the treatment does.

How to look after your ears for the first few days

The short answer is to leave them alone. The canal has just lost its layer of protective wax, and the skin underneath is thin and easily irritated. Give it a few days and it will start making fresh wax on its own.

Hearing aids can usually go back in the same day. If your canal feels sore, give it until the next morning. Before you refit them, change the wax guard or clean the dome, as old wax on the aid can end up straight back in your ear. The same goes for in-ear headphones: wipe them and give your ears a day or two off if you can. There is a simple cleaning routine in ear wax and hearing aids.

Aftercare after microsuction compared with irrigation

The advice above applies whichever method was used, but each one leaves the ear feeling slightly different.

After microsuction nothing wet has gone into your ear, so there is no water to clear. The canal can feel dry, and some people notice an itch for a day or two while the skin adjusts to being uncovered. The same is true after manual removal with fine instruments, which is often done alongside suction.

After ear irrigation a little water can stay behind, especially if the canal is narrow or curved. It usually drains within a few hours if you tilt your head and move your jaw as if yawning. A damp canal is easier to irritate, which is one reason clinicians ask you to keep your ears dry for a few days afterwards. If it still feels as though water is sloshing around the next day, contact the clinic.

Our comparison of microsuction and ear irrigation explains how the two methods work, and our guide to the risks and side effects of microsuction covers the rare problems in more detail.

Why your ear might still feel blocked

Most people walk out with clear ears. When one still feels blocked, there is usually a simple explanation.

• Some wax was left behind. Very hard or deeply packed wax doesn't always come out in one go, and a careful clinician will stop rather than keep working on sore skin. They will usually ask you to use softening drops for a few days and come back.
• Water is trapped after irrigation. This normally clears within a day.
• The blockage was never only wax. Pressure from a cold, fluid behind the eardrum or an infection can all make an ear feel full. Our guide to telling ear wax from an infection explains the differences.

If you were told some wax remains, ask whether a return visit is included in the price. Many clinics include one within a set period, but not all do, which is one of the questions worth asking in our guide to choosing an ear wax removal clinic. If your ear was fully clear and still feels blocked a week later, see a pharmacist or your GP.

When to call the clinic or see a GP

Problems after ear wax removal are uncommon, and most minor ones settle on their own. The main thing to look out for over the following days is an outer ear infection (otitis externa). It tends to show up as an ear that becomes more painful, itchy or swollen instead of less, sometimes with a discharge. It is usually treated with prescription ear drops, so get it seen early. The NHS page on ear infections describes the symptoms.

Some things are less urgent but still worth a call to the clinic. Ringing that is new and hasn't faded after a few days is one; a blocked feeling that comes back within a couple of weeks is another. Tinnitus often improves once wax is cleared, but when it doesn't, our guide to ear wax and tinnitus explains when it needs a proper assessment.

Keeping wax from building up again

You can't stop your ears making wax, and you wouldn't want to: it keeps the canal moist and traps dust. What you can do is avoid the habits that trap it.

• Clean only the outer ear with a flannel. Cotton buds push wax back in, which is why so many blockages start with them. See why cotton buds make ear wax worse.
• If you block up often, ask your clinician whether occasional softening drops would help. The technique is in our guide on how to use ear drops.
• Clean hearing aid domes and earbud tips regularly, and take them out for a break during the day when you can.
• Notice the early signs, such as a hearing aid that starts whistling or one ear sounding dull after a shower, and deal with them before the wax hardens.

If you need wax removed regularly, it helps to find a clinic you are happy with and stick with it, so they can see how your ears change over time. You can browse ear wax removal clinics by town, and the ear care glossary explains any terms a clinician used that you didn't recognise.