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 Ask Dr. Jana
Child with Excessive Earwax | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Jana,
I have a 3-1/2-year-old who has excess earwax. I've noticed lately that his hearing isn't as great. Would using hydrogen peroxide (a few drops) help to soften the wax in his ears? Or would it hurt? Are there any products that you might recommend for this problem? Thank you. P.S. I don't have insurance/doctor for my child, so any help is greatly appreciated.— Worried Mom in Whittier, CA | | | ANSWER |
April 6, 2001 | | | Dear Worried Mom,
Before we get to the earwax problem, I want to be sure that you know there is a good chance that your child may be eligible for health insurance. You can find out what is available in your state by going to: www.insurekidsnow.gov
As for the wax problem, it is not uncommon for children to have excessive earwax. The wax is only a problem when enough builds up to dampen hearing, or to make it difficult for your child's provider to look for an ear infection.
Several inexpensive over-the-counter products are available that help soften earwax. I would suggest you check with your pharmacist about which he or she has in stock and would recommend. Please note that you should never use cotton-tipped swabs to clean your child's ear canal. These simply pack the wax into the ear canal. Also keep in mind that on occasion, enough earwax accumulates or gets packed into the ear canal that, despite your best efforts, it can only be removed safely by an experienced health care professional.
As for your son's hearing, since you have noticed a problem, it is very important that you have his hearing evaluated to see if it is just the wax, or if he has impaired hearing, since hearing plays such an important role in both speech and language development, and overall development for young children.— by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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