*Welcome to the OutUK series looking at gay men and their health brought to you in association with the NHS* website.**
	Each week we'll tackle a different topic in our A to Z of Gay Health. We'll have features and advice on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. You can follow any of links provided below for more information direct from the NHS website, or see this week's feature L: Laxatives.

Earwax Build Up

Earwax normally just falls out on its own. When it's blocking your ears, a pharmacist can help.

Symptoms of earwax build-up

Symptoms of earwax build-up include:

hearing loss
earache or a feeling that your ears are blocked
ringing or buzzing in your ears (tinnitus)
vertigo (feeling dizzy and sick)

How you can treat earwax build-up yourself

Earwax usually falls out on its own. If it does not, and builds up and blocks your ear, you can try to remove it.

To remove earwax build-up:

Lie on your side with the affected ear facing up.
Put 2 to 3 drops of olive or almond oil in your ear - do not use almond oil if you're allergic to almonds.
Continue to lie on your side for 5 to 10 minutes after putting in the oil.
Repeat 3 to 4 times a day, for 3 to 5 days.

Over about 2 weeks, lumps of earwax should fall out of your ear and your symptoms should improve.

There's no evidence that ear candles or ear vacuums get rid of earwax.

Important

Do not use your fingers or any objects like cotton buds to remove earwax. This will push it in and make it worse.

A pharmacist can help with earwax build-up

Speak to a pharmacist about earwax build-up. They can give advice and suggest treatments.

They might recommend medicines to dissolve the earwax. The earwax should fall out on its own or dissolve after about a week.

Do not use drops if you have a hole in your eardrum (a perforated eardrum).

Find a pharmacy

See a nurse at your GP surgery if:

you have symptoms of ear wax build-up which have not cleared after 5 days
your ear is badly blocked and you cannot hear anything (you could get an infection if it has not cleared)

GP surgery treatment to remove earwax

Not all GP surgeries remove earwax build-up.

Some can:

flush the wax out with water (ear irrigation)
suck the wax out (microsuction)

These treatments are usually painless.

You might have to pay to have them done privately.

Causes of earwax build-up

A build-up of earwax can happen if you have:

narrow or damaged ear canals
lots of hair in your ear canals
a skin condition affecting your scalp or around your ear
inflammation of your ear canal (otitis externa or "swimmer's ear")

Preventing earwax build-up

You cannot prevent earwax. It's there to protect your ears from dirt and germs.

But regularly using eardrops, or olive or almond oil, will help soften earwax build-up. This will help it fall out on its own and should stop your ears getting blocked.

OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health continues and you can read this week's feature L: Laxatives. We have covered many subjects in this series and you can catch up with all of our Previous A to Z Features. If you want to find out more about this particular topic you can visit the Original article on the NHS website. If you are worried by any aspect of your health make sure you go and see your doctor or book an appointment at your local clinic.
Photos: LightFieldStudios and one of VladOrlov, Stockcube, darak77, ajr_images or rawpixel.com.