Earwax - Causes of earwax build-up

Some people are naturally more susceptible to developing a blockage in their ear, for various reasons.

Your risk of developing problems from a build-up of earwax is increased if you have:

• narrow ear canals or ear canals that aren't fully formed
• a lot of hair in your ear canals
• bony growths in the outer part of your ear canal – these are called osetomata
• a skin condition of your scalp or preauricular area (the area just in front of your earlobe)
• hard wax – because it's more likely to become impacted (firmly lodged in your ear canal)  
• a history of recurrent impacted earwax
• repeated ear infections
• learning difficulties (the reason for this is unknown) 

Elderly people are more at risk of having earwax problems because earwax becomes drier with age. 

Impacted earwax

If you produce a lot of earwax, further blockages may occur, even after you've had an earwax plug removed.

Further blockages are also likely to occur if you have particularly narrow ear canals that become blocked more easily.

Your chances of developing an earwax blockage are also increased if you:

• use cotton buds – they can push earwax deeper into your ear and pack it together harder, creating an earwax plug
• wear a hearing aid or earplugs, which can stop earwax falling out of your ear naturally