I’m a GP – put down the cotton bud, do NOT go near your ears with one – The Sun

THERE’S something oddly satisfying about sticking a cotton bud in your ear and looking at it change colour when it’s pulled out.

But one doctor has warned that you need to put them down – as they can cause damage to your ears.

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Dr Sara Kayat urged her Instagram followers to put down to cotton buds when it comes to ear cleaningCredit: Dr Sara Kayat – Instagram

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She explained that by using them, you risk damaging your ears and up your chance of getting an infectionCredit: Dr Sara Kayat – Instagram

Posting to Instagram, Dr Sara Kayat said that you don’t need to use them – as your ears are actually self-cleaning.

She explained: “They don’t need you with your little cotton-blobbed baton, poking about in there.”

But for those of you still insisting on using them as a cleaning instrument, Dr Kayat said you’re putting yourself at risk of a number of issues.

Firstly she said – you could cause a perforation – which is a rupturing of the ear drum.

You might experience sudden hearing loss, earache, or even fluid leaking from your ear.

Common causes of this include using cotton buds, a blow to the ear or an ear infection.

The guru added that you might also cause a nasty infection.

“When you damage the delicate skin in the ear canal poking about with a bud, you increase your risk of getting an infection,” she said.

Another little known side effect of using cotton buds, she said, is ‘wax impaction’.

She explained that by using the buds, you can actually push the goey stuff further back.

This, she said, then turns into a hard lump which is even harder to remove and will make you feel ‘more deaf’.

Surprisingly, she said using the tools can actually cause hair damage.

“You can damage the little hairs that are in your ears that help to naturally push the wax out and help protect the ear from dirt and debris,” Dr Kayat added.

While all these reasons are important ones to not use the little buds, Dr Kayat added that we actually need wax inside our ears.

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Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/19430668/gp-put-down-cotton-bud-not-ears/