This is not honey: what ear wax says about your health - Walla! health

2021-06-06T23:21:43.928Z

What do the texture, color and even smell of your ear wax say about your health condition and when do they indicate a serious illness or problem? The complete guide to what happens to your ears >>

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This is not honey: what ear wax says about your health

The texture, color and even the smell - the characteristics of the ear wax can indicate the health condition and sometimes even indicate the onset of serious diseases.

Here's what's important to know about it

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Color

It turns out that there are two main types of ear wax and their distribution is mostly genetic: people of European, American and African descent have orange and wet-textured ear wax, while Asians have white and dry ear wax.

By the way, there is also a difference in taste - while the orange and wet wax is bitter (brass do not ask us how we know), the white wax is tasteless, for the most part.

Basically, you should not clean your ear wax.

Woman cleans her ear (Photo: ShutterStock)

The normal range of ear wax can range from light orange to dark brown, but if you come across a surprising shade like yellow, green or black (even white, if the normal shade of your ear wax is orange), you should consult a doctor.

Most often, a change in the color of the ear wax indicates some infection that caused the ear infection.

smell

Your ear wax should not have an odor, and if it does, it probably indicates an infection.

In the last two decades, studies have been published that have found a link between fragrant ear wax and pungent body odor in general and an increased genetic risk for breast cancer.

But a pungent odor from the ear can also indicate a fungal infection.

However, bad-smelling ear wax is a reason to seek medical attention and requires treatment - no matter what the reason.

A wet ear sweating after a workout is fine.

Woman training with headphones (Photo: ShutterStock)

texture

If you wake up in the morning and find wax stains on the pillow or dripping wax that has dried on the wing or other external parts of the ear, you are probably suffering from a leak of liquid wax from the ears, which is a sign that something is wrong.

This symptom may also indicate an infection in the ear or another chronic disease that affects the ear.

On the other hand, if you feel that your ear is "wet" after a workout or other effort - it is probably just sweat and no cause for concern.

On the other hand, there can also be a situation where the ear wax solidifies and accumulates inside the ear canal in a noticeable and disturbing way.

If you have such a feeling of "something" in your ear all the time, there may be a plug of wax that needs to be removed.

This operation should be performed by a nose specialist, ENT who has the training and equipment to make sure this is the case and remove the wax blockage safely without damaging the ear.

By the way, if you notice that your ear wax has become thicker and darker, it could be just a sign of age, because these are typical changes for aging.