Blocked ears? A quiet word on microsuction

Earwax is meant to be there. It catches dust, slows down bacteria and keeps the ear canal healthy. The trouble starts when it builds up faster than the ear can clear it - and you find yourself turning the television up, feeling vaguely off-balance, or noticing a dull ache that will not shift.

A cotton bud feels like it is clearing the canal. What it is actually doing is pushing most of the wax further in, packing it against the eardrum, and scuffing the delicate skin of the canal as it goes. Olive oil softens wax but rarely removes it on its own. Old-fashioned syringing has fallen out of favour with the NHS for good reasons - it is messy, it can be uncomfortable, and in rare cases it can damage the eardrum.

Microsuction uses a fine, low-pressure suction tube and a binocular microscope. The clinician can see exactly what they are doing and lifts the wax out gently, with no water, no syringing, and no flushing. Most appointments take fifteen to twenty minutes. You can hear properly again on the way back to the car.

• Hearing in one ear suddenly feels muffled
• Persistent ringing or a feeling of fullness
• Dizziness, balance trouble, or earache
• You wear hearing aids and the moulds keep getting clogged

We run the service in partnership with TympaHealth, and our trained clinicians do it all year round. Book online or call the pharmacy.