Why do my ears get waxy
Everyone has wax in their ears, though some people may seem to have more than others. With that in mind many people have asked the question: just what is it, why do I have it, and why do some people have so much of it?
First and foremost, to answer the first part, ear wax isn’t really wax. In fact, it’s actually a substance known as “cerumen” that is created by many small glands located in your outer ear. These glands operate in the same way that the “oily” sebaceous glands on the skin create a greasy sensation or sweat glands cool us when our body temperature rises. The “wax” is simply a sticky liquid generated by our bodies that, although it may feel similar to that of a candle, is in reality much more akin to a concentrated sweat drop.
Despite the fact that many people may find it quite unpleasant to deal with cerumen actually has a number of useful applications for our body, particularly with its ability to protect our ears from foreign substances. While it may seem natural to assume that our ears are protected from many of the dangers around us due to the fact that they are carefully recessed in our skulls in all actuality they are submitted to a number of foreign objects on a regular basis – the least of which being dust, pollen and even small insects. Cerumen acts to shield our ears from these substances and slowly push them out of our ear canals, thus protecting our hearing – something more fragile than many people may realize.
As for why some people tend to have more of an issue with ear wax than others this typically comes down to a simple matter of biology and genetic structures. Just as many people tend to sweat more or less than their peers or have either drier or oilier skin the same holds true for cerumen production within the ear canal. While it may seem like an inconvenience ample cerumen generation (or even copious production in some cases) is a perfectly natural process that many people discover to be an issue at an early age. Thankfully it has no major side effect (aside from perhaps some troubles hearing should it build up too much) and can easily be removed through any number of means, therefore do not pay it too much concern should you find yourself as one of the many individuals out there who simply has more ear wax than their friends.