Anyone who has plucked out the ears knows that it is really comfortable to pluck the ears!
Whether it is with your fingers, or with a cotton swab, whether you take it yourself or with the help of others, as long as you pull it out, it is cool.
However, from the perspective of health, we really don't recommend that you pluck your ears.
Why? This one will be talked about in detail!
(Of course, if you really want to dig out, DianGe has also prepared "6 tips for safe and healthy ear plucking" for you, you can pull down to the end of the article to check it.) ）
Pluck your ears, there is only one benefit, that is: cool!
Our ear canal is rich in nerves, and pulling out the ear can stimulate the nerves at the end of the ear canal, thereby promoting dopamine secretion in the brain, which produces this fascinating "cool" feeling [1-3].
Moreover, when we pluck our ears, we produce a spontaneous perceptual meridian response, also known as "intracranial orgasm" and "ear sounds."
It is a unique stimulus that is generated in your skull, scalp, and other parts of your skull through sensory stimuli such as touch or hearing, which is extremely pleasurable and even addictive [4].
Therefore, many people not only pay for themselves, but also go to the store that specializes in ear picking, and spend money to ask people to help them.
Although it is cool to pluck your ears, compared with the possible consequences of ear canal inflammation and hearing damage, this "cool" is really insignificant.
The number of people who go to the hospital every year because of their ears is innumerable.
Searches for "moldy" ears after plucking out the ears, news abounds.
(Source: Weibo @ Morning News)
There are also people who always pluck their ears, which increases the risk of cancer.
(Source: Weibo @ Phoenix Weekly)
Why is it so dangerous to pluck your own ears? There are 3 reasons for this:
1. Disinfection of utensils is a problem
Pulling out the ears at home, it is difficult to strictly disinfect the tools, which gives bacteria and fungi "an opportunity", causing inflammation of the ear canal and making the ears "moldy" and "hairy".
2. Poke and scratch your ears
When you pluck your ears for yourself, you can only pull them out of your ears by "feeling", which may damage the skin of the external ear canal and cause otitis later.
3. The depth of the ear is difficult to grasp
Some people feel that it is not "cool" enough to take out shallow, and they also want to dig the depths of the ear, which may damage the eardrum and even cause purulent otitis media.
Therefore, for the sake of temporary "coolness", taking these risks is really not worth the loss.
Seeing this you may want to ask: can't pluck your ears? What if there is ear?
In fact, normal people don't need to take the initiative to pluck their ears at all! Allowing ear to exist is the protection of the ear.
The scientific name of "ear feces" is "dīng níng", which is secreted by the cerumen secretory glands of the external auditory canal. Its role mainly includes:
Lubrication and moisturizing, antibacterial and noise-proof, self-cleaning and dustproof;
Reduce the impact of sound waves on the eardrum, protect the eardrum, protect the hearing;
Effectively prevents flying insects from entering the ear.
And even if you don't pluck your ears at all, you don't need to worry about ear droppings "stuffing" your ears.
The ear itself has a self-cleaning function, in daily life, as we talk, chew, or turn over while sleeping, the secretions in the ear will slowly move outward and fall off on their own.
Therefore, it is really not recommended that you take the initiative to pluck your ears, and it is not recommended to pluck your ears frequently because it is very cool.
To really safely pluck your ears, there's only one place that can be done: hospitals.
If you are really uncomfortable with your ears, or feel that your ears are "blocked" and affect your hearing, you can go to the OTOL Head and Neck Surgery or ENT Department of the hospital and ask your doctor to help you deal with it.
If it is a cerumen (dīng níng) embolism (commonly known as "ear feces blocking the ear"), the doctor will come up with professional tools, such as otoscopy and help you clean the ear droppings.
If the ear feces are too dry and clotted to the side walls of the ear canal, the doctor will not forcibly remove them. Liquid paraffin wax or cerumen containing 5% sodium bicarbonate is generally used to dissolve and soften the ear feces before cleaning.
When necessary, the doctor will also use some medical equipment to clean up, such as suction, using a device like a small vacuum cleaner to suck away the ear feces and clean the ear canal.
This set of operations down, clean and hygienic, safe and efficient, is not more than their own at home to dig up more assured?
If you really can't help it, if you want to pluck your ears to cool down, you must also pay attention to the following 6 points:
1. Pay attention to tool selection: don't use a cotton swab with too big a head, and don't use your fingers, because this may "push" the ear feces deeper into the ear canal.
Nails, hairpins, pencil heads, matchsticks, etc., also keep them away from the ears. You can use tools with a slightly soft and elastic front end, such as a thin cotton swab sterilized with alcohol, or a silicone ear scoop at the front.
2. Remember to disinfect the utensils before each use!
3. When pulling out, gently scratch the external ear canal, do not stretch too deeply.
4. Try not to go to the non-standard "ear picking" shop to experience it casually.
5. If the ear is really itchy and uncontrollable, you can't stand it without pulling it out, it may be a sign of the disease, remember to seek help from the doctor in time!
Finally, tell me again: although it is cool to pluck your ears, you can't take it out yourself!
Today (March 3) is World Hearing Day, love your ears and never pluck your ears. Click "Watching" and tell more people about it
Review expert: Wang Liyi
Chief Physician of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Beijing Hospital
bibliography
[1] Sirgy MJ. Positive balance: a hierarchical perspective of positive mental health. Qual Life Res. 2019 Jul;28(7):1921-1930.
Sun Hong,Zhang Luo. "Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery". 9th ed. Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House, 2018.
[3] Eugene M. N. Miles. Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Volume II, 2nd Edition. Tianjin Science and Technology Translation and Publishing Company.
[4] Niven EC, Scott SK. Careful whispers: when sounds feel like a touch. Trends Cogn Sci. 2021 Aug;25(8):645-647.
Author: She Huiyu
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