Ear wax is a good thing: it protects your ear canal and eardrum, keeping them moist and trapping dirt and germs. 

Some of us naturally produce more ear wax than others and need help, from time to time, to get rid of their ear wax build-up.  Those who wear hearing aids, earplugs or earbuds may produce more ear wax which can become harder, and more uncomfortable, with age.

Our Audiologists and Hearing Care Assistants will remove any adult’s unwanted ear wax quickly, safely and painlessly using microsuction.

How do you know if you have an ear wax issue?

If you have earache or itchiness, and perhaps even dizziness or an ear infection, it may be caused by ear wax. You may simply be able to see excessive wax or perhaps you feel your hearing isn’t what it could be.  It’s important to get your ears checked out by our audiologist, with a Free Hearing Health Check. They will examine your ears and advise you if you have a build-up of ear wax or if your hearing loss isn't caused by ear wax. You need to know so you can get some support.

How will you remove the ear wax?

Using a procedure called microsuction, this high-precision instrument, gently vacuums your ear canal. It removes your excess ear wax cleanly and safely, without causing any damage to the sensitive ear canal and ear drum. 

What are the benefits of microsuction? 

Traditionally, ear wax is removed by ‘syringing’, which means water is forced into your ear canal to clear the wax. Microsuction is much cleaner and safer than syringing.  Water irrigation can lead to bleeding and soreness from the pressure of the water. When it goes badly wrong, syringing can perforate your ear drum, lead to tinnitus or hearing loss. Whereas microsuction is safe even if you’ve had a perforated ear drum in the past.

While we’re doing your microsuction, we get a close-up view right inside your ear canal – and we can see exactly what we’re doing.

What’s the process for booking ear wax removal?

An appointment is booked with our audiologist at your local Bayfields practice where you should allow 45 minutes for an examination.
We’ll ask you to soften your ear wax with oil for a week before you come in. We can provide the oil, or you can get them over the counter in a pharmacy, or you could just use olive oil at home.

When you come in, we’ll ask you for a history of your ear health and then inspect your ear canals up close.

If we think your ear wax is problematic enough to need removing, we’ll do it using microsuction. If not, we charge a small consultation fee or can offer a Hearing Health Check instead.

You’ll come back for a follow-up check (included in the cost of your ear wax removal), when we’ll see how you’re getting on and check your hearing. We recommend that most people then come back annually for further removal.

Should you remove ear wax at home?

In a word, no. Most GPs no longer do ear wax removal, but you should still be treated by a professional like a Bayfields audiologist. You could do significant and even irreversible damage if you poke things into your ear canals, and it’s especially important to leave children’s ear canals alone.

How much does ear wax removal cost?

We charge £75 for one or two ears. If we decide you don’t need any wax removing, only £20 is payable. This price also includes a free follow-up appointment, plus a second ear wax removal appointment if we can’t do it all in one go.