![]() ![]() She says it's common to hear of patients coming into ENT offices who have tried candling and show up with "deeper blockages of cerumen, burns to the face and ear canal, and most dangerously, damage to the eardrum from hot candle wax, resulting in temporary or permanent hearing loss." One examination of the brown substance left in the cone revealed that candle wax, not cerumen, is what accumulated in the fabric." (Related: Is Your Fitness Class Music Messing with Your Hearing?) " Studies have shown that the 'vacuum' effect is not strong enough to pull the cerumen out, nor is the heat sufficient to melt it. "Unfortunately, despite its claims, candling has been found to not only be ineffective but also dangerous," says Dr. (Related: Jessie J Says She Doesn't Want "Sympathy" for Her Ménière's Disease Diagnosis) ![]() Niyogi says she's also seen patients come in who have tried candling at home and pushed their ear wax further into their ears, causing discomfort. Not only does ear candling do little to nothing for your ear wax, but Dr. It sounds simple enough, but may be too simple to be true. "An alternate theory is that the heat of the candle melts the cerumen, which slowly comes out of the ear canal over the next one or two days." So how does an ear candle supposedly remove ear wax? "One theory is that, as the candle burns, it creates a vacuum that extracts the cerumen from the ear," says Dr. After 15 minutes, a brown substance is found in the cone, believed to be cerumen," she says. "In candling, hollow fabric cones are soaked in candle wax, placed in the ear canal, and lit on one end, with a paper plate positioned to catch the resulting ash. "Ear candling has been touted for years as a method to remove cerumen," notes Dr. Some will hit up a day spa for an ear candling treatment, while others will take the DIY route as seen on TikTok by purchasing a few ear wax candles online. "Contrary to popular belief, cerumen really only forms in the outer part of the ear canal, just past where our fingers can reach." (That's right - ear wax only hangs out in your outer ear canal and not deeper into your ear.)īut still, humans are curious, and ear wax can feel uncomfortable or even be embarrassing to deal with - and that's when ear candling comes into play. "Most people's ears are 'self-cleaning' and naturally push out excess cerumen when it builds up," says Dr. The medical term for ear wax is cerumen, and its role is to protect your body against bacteria, viruses, and fungi coming in to threaten the ear canal, says Sayani Niyogi, D.O, an ears, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor with ENT and Allergy Associates, LLP. (Here's one example.) Users aim to go viral by showcasing the process, and then opening up the "ear wax candle" on camera to reveal the gooey, crusty remnants of whatever was "extracted" during the candling.īut are ear wax removal candles actually effective? And more importantly, is this is healthy, safe thing you should do to your ears to keep them clean? Here's everything you need to know about ear candling and whether or not you should try it for yourself. (Think: Like a blackhead strip, but for your ear wax.)īecause this process is so grossly satisfying to watch, of course it's ended up on TikTok. When you open up the remaining candle, it's miraculously filled with what seems to be all the junk that was hiding inside your ear. When you see it on the internet, ear candling appears to be soooo satisfying: You simply tilt your head to one side (or lie down), place a thin, cone-shaped candle into your ear, light it, and let it burn as low as possible. In Blog Posts Ear Candling Is Taking Off On TikTok, But Is It Safe to Try at Home? Find out why so many people have been placing lit candles in their ears, and whether ear candling is actually worth trying. Ear Candling Is Taking Off On TikTok, But Is It Safe to Try at Home? ![]()
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