Is It Safe to Use Peroxide for Ear Wax Removal?用雙氧水去除耳垢安全嗎?

No need to get too deep in there.

沒必要“挖”得過深。

Do you have a bottle of hydrogen peroxide in your medicine cabinet right now？ The disinfectant is famous for fizzing up when poured on wounds， and so it fast became a first aid staple. （Though， it actually shouldn’t be poured on cuts and scrapes， per Cleveland Clinic.） In addition， peroxide for ear wax removal has also become A Thing.

你的藥柜里現(xiàn)在有雙氧水嗎？這種消毒液因倒在傷口上會發(fā)出嘶嘶聲而知名，因此迅速成為了急救的常備藥品。（不過根據(jù)克利夫蘭診所的說法，實際上不應(yīng)該把它倒在傷口上。）此外，用雙氧水清除耳垢也開始風(fēng)靡一時。

Earwax， also known as cerumen， is created by glands in the ear canal and it can help prevent infections to the ear， says Elias Michaelides， MD， of Rush University in Chicago， Illinois. “Earwax can also potentially protect the ear from being wet or help it dry quicker if it is wet. However， more research needs to be conducted to learn more about the true purpose of earwax，” he says.

伊利諾斯州芝加哥拉什大學(xué)的醫(yī)學(xué)博士伊萊亞斯·邁克利茲介紹道，耳垢也被稱為耵聹，是由耳道內(nèi)的腺體分泌的，有助于預(yù)防耳朵感染。他說：“耳垢還可以保護耳朵免受潮濕，或者在耳朵受潮時讓它更快干燥。但是，耳垢存在的真正意義還需要更多的研究?！?/p>

Should you remove earwax？

應(yīng)該清除耳垢嗎？

Before we get to the question of whether you should use peroxide to remove earwax， let’s back up to talk about whether you should be removing earwax at all. Dr. Michaelides says that the majority of people do not need to bother removing earwax. “The skin of the ear canal grows outwards，” he says—which serves as an ideal avenue for earwax to exit the ear canal. “We simply need to wipe the earwax away when we shower or wash.”

在討論是否應(yīng)該用雙氧水去除耳垢之前，我們先談?wù)勈欠駪?yīng)該去除耳垢。邁克利茲博士說，大多數(shù)人沒有必要特意清除耳垢。他說：“耳道的皮膚向外生長（這是耳垢從耳道排出的理想途徑），我們只需要在洗澡或洗漱時把耳垢擦掉就行了?！?/p>

If earwax is a non-issue for you， you do not need to take the time to try to remove it. However， some people notice that earwax builds up and gets caught in the ear. If there is enough of a build-up， earwax can even block the ear canal causing temporary hearing loss. This is because sound cannot make it past the earwax in order to reach the eardrum. If this happens to you， then it is best to remove the earwax.

如果耳垢對你來說不是問題，就不需要花時間去清理它。但是，有些人發(fā)現(xiàn)耳垢會積聚并卡在耳朵里。如果耳垢積聚過多，則會堵塞耳道，造成暫時性聽力喪失——因為聲音無法穿透耳垢傳到鼓膜。如果出現(xiàn)這種情況，最好清理耳垢。

How do I safely remove earwax？

該如何安全地清除耳垢？

Okay， so you need to remove some earwax and want to do it safely， but how？ Dr. Michaelides recommends stopping by the drug store or local pharmacy and picking up over-the-counter earwax removal drops.

好吧，如果你需要清除一些耳垢，并且希望不發(fā)生危險，那該怎么做呢？邁克利茲博士建議去藥店或醫(yī)院藥房購買非處方的除耳垢滴劑。

“These OTC options include hydrogen peroxide， but in a milder form，” he says. These kits also include a small syringe to use to flush out the ear drum. “If the earwax build-up is pretty dense and blocking the ear canal， this process can take up to several days for the peroxide to soften the earwax and eventually flush it out，” notes Dr. Michaelides. Cue： patience.

他說：“這些非處方藥也含有過氧化氫，但配方更溫和?！惫ぞ甙镞€有一個用來沖洗鼓膜的小注射器。邁克利茲博士提示道：“如果耳垢堆積得太厚，堵塞了耳道，那么用藥可能需要幾天，過氧化氫才能軟化耳垢，最終將其沖洗出來?！弊⒁猓阂托摹?/p>

If you do not feel like running out to the store， you can use hydrogen peroxide to remove earwax if you feel comfortable. “It’s safe to use，” says Michaelides. “We use it in our office all of the time， so it is something you can use on occasion.” However， he warns that if used frequently， peroxide may cause irritation to the skin， so it is best to use it once a week on a routine basis or for several days in a row， but only if you have a blockage. （Signs and symptoms of a blockage include an earache， a full/plugged feeling in the ear， noises in the ear， and hearing loss， per the U.S. National Library of Medicine.）

如果你懶得去藥店而且覺得能接受的話，也可以直接用雙氧水去除耳垢。邁克利茲說：“雙氧水用起來很安全，我們一直在醫(yī)院用它，所以你偶爾用用是可以的。”但他警告道，如果經(jīng)常使用，雙氧水可能會對皮膚造成刺激，所以最好只有在耳朵堵塞的時候，才每周常規(guī)使用一次或連續(xù)使用幾天。（根據(jù)美國國家醫(yī)學(xué)圖書館的說法，耳塞的癥狀和體征包括耳痛、耳內(nèi)有堵塞感、耳內(nèi)噪音以及聽力喪失。）

Never put any liquids in the ear canal， like peroxide， if you have a hole in the eardrum or have tubes in your ears. If you try an OTC earwax removal kit or peroxide and notice any pain， stop using it， as this may be a sign there is a hole in the eardrum. Call your doctor to schedule an appointment so they can safely assist you.

如果你的耳膜上有穿孔或者耳朵里有耳管，千萬不要在耳道里滴入任何液體，比如雙氧水。如果你在嘗試使用非處方工具或雙氧水的過程中出現(xiàn)疼痛狀況，須停止使用，這可能是耳膜穿孔的跡象。打電話預(yù)約醫(yī)生，這樣他們就可以幫助你安全處理。

What if you do not have a major earwax blockage， but still want to clean your ears？ Dr. Michaelides recommends letting water run through the ears while you shower. This allows the earwax to soften and eventually come out on its own. “Water in the ear canal is not an issue. Just make sure to gently dry out your ears. You can even use a hairdryer on a low setting，” he says.

如果你沒有嚴重的耳垢堵塞，但仍想清潔耳朵，那該怎么辦呢？邁克利茲醫(yī)生建議洗澡時沖洗耳道。這會讓耳垢變軟，最終自行排出。“耳道積水不是問題，只要以柔和的方式弄干耳朵就好，甚至可以使用吹風(fēng)機低檔模式吹干耳朵。”

Can I still use cotton swabs？

我還能用棉簽嗎？

Skip it， please. “When using a cotton swab， some earwax is pulled out， but other earwax may be pushed much deeper into the ear canal， which can cause more problems like blocking the eardrum，” says Dr. Michaelides.

千萬別用棉簽。邁克利茲博士說：“使用棉簽可以帶出一部分耳垢，但其余的耳垢可能會被推到更深的地方，從而可能引起更多的問題，比如堵塞鼓膜?！?/p>

In addition， “the ear canal is short and the structures inside are extremely delicate. Most people are very cautious when using cotton swabs， but we still have patients who perforate their eardrum or cause damage to other hearing mechanisms.” It’s totally okay to use the cotton swabs to clean the folds of the outer ear， just not necessarily in the ear canal.

此外，“耳道很短且內(nèi)部結(jié)構(gòu)脆弱，盡管大多數(shù)人使用棉簽時都非常謹慎，但仍有患者戳破耳膜或損害其他聽力結(jié)構(gòu)”。用棉簽清潔外耳褶皺是完全可以的，但沒必要伸進耳道內(nèi)。

“Unless you are having problems like hearing loss or blockages， you do not need to do anything since the ears are self-cleaning. All we have to do is wash the outer parts and over time， the earwax will clean itself out，” says Dr. Michaelides.

“除非你有聽力損傷或耳塞等問題，否則無須做任何處理，因為耳朵有自動清潔功能。我們所要做的就是清洗耳朵外部，隨著時間推移，耳垢會自行清除?！边~克利茲博士說。

The bottom line： Hydrogen peroxide is safe to use for earwax removal， but it’s usually not necessary.

一句話總結(jié)：用雙氧水清除耳垢是安全的，但通常不是必需的。