Dont put cotton swabs into your ear canals

Everyone loves Q-Tips and most people think theyre made for the ears, but theyre not, Dr. Alexiades says. Contrary to popular belief, the ear is self-cleaning and the presence of earwax is actually a good thing. Wax is normal. Its the sign of a healthy ear, Dr. Alexiades says. Even though people may think they are cleaning their ears with cotton swabs, they are likely pushing wax further in. Whats more dangerous is the swabs also scrape natural oils out of the ear canal and can scratch it, causing an outer ear infection. For these reasons, you should only use cotton swabs on the outside parts of the ear and never in the ear canal. If you feel like your ears need to be cleaned, your doctor can clean them in a safe way.