STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

bex · Chanel

ear candeling?

Elle · Hermes

As in, ear wax removal

?

rosie_the_riveter · Gucci

LMonet wrote:

As in, ear wax removal ?

this is what I was thinking?

cc · Marc Jacobs

It's so funny, this is a huuuge hot topic on another board I belong to. Lots of people swear that it is beneficial and has helped them but others point to medical sites which say it does no good and can actually be dangerous. I don't know anything about it other than that and what I've seen on WebMD etc but you might want to read up or check with your doctor first just in case.

" Do not use ear candles. They have no proven benefit in the removal of earwax and can cause serious injury." -WebMD

Here is an article from a medical association website which discusses some studies and the FDA position.

HTH!

bex · Chanel

Rosie and LMonet: It is kind of like wax removal- but it apparently clears your ears up so much and your hearing is SOOOO much better after doing it. One of my friends claims it makes her hearing "sonar"...

CC: thanks for the articles. a lot of my arty friends get this done pretty regularly (one even does it to herself) and none have had issues and claim it is fantastic... but i am going to read up on the articles and see what it said. although we have to remember that these (FDA) are the same people pushing prescription drugs down our throats instead of seeking out more alternative natural ways to heal our bodies...

NCshopper · Hermes

Sounds fishy to me. I don't know...I think I'd prefer to keep fire away from my ears. I know doctors can remove ear wax safely. You can also do it yourself by putting a drop or two of mineral oil in your ears and laying with your head on pillow for awhile and then flip over and the ear wax just comes out.

cc · Marc Jacobs

Yeah I don't really have a position one way or the other, especially since I haven't tried it. I remember seeing some articles that describe exactly what it does and why it seems like it's working but it really isn't but then there are lots of people who say it helps them. Who knows, I just wanted to warn you that some professionals think it's a bad thing. I actually have a number of friends who have had their ears unclogged by doctors and said it was a bit uncomfortable but the effects were amazing but I also think they had an actual serious problem with wax buildup which forced them to go that route. Oh also the one thing I just realized - I couldn't figure out why so many people say it's dangerous and I'm guessing the main reason is because duh, you have wax for a reason - to keep germs out - so maybe some doctors thing candeling removes too much and leaves one more prone to ear infections? Anyway let us know if you do it. I'm always so intrigued by this.

sfclinevandy · Coach

Here are my $.02...

I had it done "professionally" (at a hippie massage/herbal pharamacy/ drum circle type place) because I was curious. When you have it done you really don't feel the wax being sucked out... which I thought would be cool. Instead you just hear the a loud noise of the smoke inside your ear canal. When your ear is finished it feels different and more clear, but that might be due to a lot of smoke being directed into your brain. Okay, not really but that's what it feels like. After I had it done "professionally" I got so sick it wasn't even funny. While she was candling my ear, she was also massaging my sinus passages. The next day I had the worst sore throat, sinus headache, and ear ache. I am 100% conviced it was because the "professional" messed up my sinus passages.

I've also done it with my friends when we've gotten ear candles from GNC or Whole Foods. I learned my lesson by not letting anyone molest my sinus area or face. It's amusing but I really don't think it's that effective. Once you are finished, most people cut open the candle to see what kind of gross things are inside. I've always wondered if you just burn a candle without putting it into someone's ear if similar residue would result.

ejc423 · Coach

Welllll, we asked about this in one of my audiology classes and cc is right, most professionals will strongly advise against it. Ear wax is in your ears to keep the ear canal lubricated and help keep out foreign bodies and germs. It works itself out. Audiologists and ENTs will die if you tell them you even use a q-tip in your ears. So many people damage their eardrums that way.

So anyway, ear wax does not interfere with your hearing unless there is a buildup of it against your eardrum (which happens to older people and sometimes people who use q-tips all the time--they just pack it in there). And if that happens, you can go to a doctor who uses a little spatula to scrape it out or will send you to the drugstore to get some OTC drops you put in your ear that soften the impacted wax and help it come out.

My opinion is that it may be dangerous and is definitely a waste of dollars.

JoceyBaby23 · Gucci

My friends and I do this to each other. We buy the candles at a local Amish family store. Usually do 2 in each ear. It is easy and I have never had any problems. We can always hear better after and if you have a lingering cold, we have found that ear candles will clear it right up.

We are sickos and also like to open the candles and see what we "got in there". Its really nasty and I cant really explain what it looks like but most of it is definately hard, dried up wax. (Similar to bacon bits) I warned you.. really gross!

Anyway, from personal experience, my friends and I have never had any issues or negative effects from doing this.

Only one warning from me.. my BFF and I did it once drunk and I syinged the tip of a piece of her hair. Luckily, there were no flames - but there could have been!

bumblebee · Coach

a friend of mine had it done at an ENT's office--not with a candle, but the dr. just suctioned it out somewhow and it came out in one big chunk. that seems safer to me than having smoke blown in your ears.

blubirde · Chanel

I've had it done medically by a doctor a couple times. Apparently I have weird wax issues occasionally that make my ears hurt. Gross, I know. Anyway, you can definitely hear better afterwards but only for a day or so. After that it goes back to normal. Besides, who cares if you can hear your hair rustling right by your ears? If not for the medical issues, I would never have had it done. But if you do decide to do it, I wanna hear what it's like - sounds interesting at the very least.

Maddie · Coach

I also have weird wax issues that make my ears hurt. Hot. Anyway, I've never had candeling done, but I've had them siphon water in and out of my ear. It was so sick, but I totally could hear better afterwards.

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

If you lay down with your head to one side and have someone pour a capful of hydrogen peroxide in your ear, it will loosen the wax. You just lay there for a while (it makes me mildly dizzy, but in an almost fun way), then you put a washcloth on top and flip over so the hyrogen peroxide drains out. Then you swipe the inside of your ear with a q-tip and you'll have lots of gunk out.

Just a thought.

-gd

Deuce · Dooney & Bourke

My moms side of the family are american indian and so is my ex. This is something that is pretty common. It is not generally done unless you are having ear aches or a large wax build up. You can have it done professionally or just buy the special candles in the health store. My dad has his wife do this for him and swears by it for earaches. My ex acturally uses a newspaper but I have never been comfortable with this so I get the candles, but I don't do it unless I need to.

bex · Chanel

the whole reason i wanted this done was b/c i get terrible ear aches every winter and my doctor *thinks* they are due to my eustacian tubes never dropping as i got older. i thought perhaps i could head them off by getting ear candleing done...

now i am not sure. it just seemed like another health store way to cure something that the doctor would give me a prescription for... which i would much rather do! i'm going to think about it and talk to my friends who get it done again to see what they have to say...

thanks again for your thoughts and concerns- they are much appreciated!

ejc423 · Coach

Hey Bex,

I'm sorry about your earaches.

Do you have PE tubes in your ears? If not, your ear infections most likely wouldn't be caused by anything that wax removal would help. If the problem is with your eustachian tubes, the infection comes from inside your head rather than through your ears. If you do have tubes, I think candeling would be a BAD idea since the hole in your eardrum might allow the smoke to enter your middle and inner ear (DANGER WILL ROBINSON).

At any rate, if you don't have tubes and your earaches are chronic all winter, you could talk to your doctor about getting them. I know they seem like a thing kids get, but because your eustachian tubes are configured like a child, they probably would help. I actually know someone with the same problem who still has the PE tubes.

Good luck!

bex · Chanel

ejc423 wrote:

Hey Bex, I'm sorry about your earaches. Do you have PE tubes in your ears? If not, your ear infections most likely wouldn't be caused by anything that wax removal would help. If the problem is with your eustachian tubes, the infection comes from inside your head rather than through your ears. If you do have tubes, I think candeling would be a BAD idea since the hole in your eardrum might allow the smoke to enter your middle and inner ear (DANGER WILL ROBINSON). At any rate, if you don't have tubes and your earaches are chronic all winter, you could talk to your doctor about getting them. I know they seem like a thing kids get, but because your eustachian tubes are configured like a child, they probably would help. I actually know someone with the same problem who still has the PE tubes. Good luck!

thanks for the kind words.

perhaps i'll press the issue further with my doctor in regards to my ears. i never did have tubes put in when i was a child and i know this will continue to happen for the rest of my adult life as my dad has the same problem every winter as well.

and considering what you said about the smoke entering my middle & inner ear- i'll skip the ear candleing...

this has been an interesting thread for sure though!