Ear Wax Isn’t Actually a Wax and Some Surprising Facts Most People Don’t Know Yet

Ear wax is one of the body fluids, evoking a polarizing reaction in most humans, one of fascination or expressing disgust.

Hidden inside the body's so-called cul de sac, it is unusually discussed in polite communities. A Medium report said that most people take earwax for granted, except when they are being "naughty and dig in the ears with cotton swabs" even though they know they are not supposed to.

Ear wax may have always been judged harshly, but it's important to know that humans are lucky to have it. With its function in protecting the ears, wax has had a surprising variety of functions through the years. And just like its smell, the wax's uses may fascinate or disgust an individual.

Ear Wax Has Used as Lip Balm, Sewing Material, and Medicine

During the 1800s, before the invention of Chapstick, and probably precursor to it, people used ear wax as a lip balm.

A Quality Logo Products report specified that Lydia Maria Child described the use in her 1828 book, The American Frugal Housewife, a highly recommended read for homemakers.

In the book's late edition, the author suggested using ear wax as a "salve for puncture wounds." Perhaps, it was not much use against tetanus, although back then, they didn't have easy access to Neosporin.

Before the invention of sewing machines, tailors smear a dab of ear wax on the end of their thread to prevent fraying.

More recently, there has been a study on the medical uses of ear wax. Some people have considered it a "neglected biological matrix" as it is easily sampled and available, although it is hardly used.

Ear wax offers information about gender, ethnicity, diet, and exposure to pollutants. One group of scientists was able to diagnose diabetes through ear wax. The same team has examined its use in diagnosing intoxication, drug abuse, and cancer.

Skin Moisturizer

Found only in mammals and humans, ear wax seals and moisturizes the ear and canal skin. It is only made in the ear canal's outer third, the cartilage-made part.

The canal's other two-thirds are made of bone and covered with a thin layer of skin. Ear canals are described as "anatomic dead ends," angled and curved downwards, making it easy for dirt and dead skin, among others, to get stuck inside.

Luckily, ear wax is trapping this detritus at the entrance. Then, with the help of jaw movements like chewing, a related The Downey Patriot report specified, as well as the skin of the ear canal that grows slowly from the inside out like a conveyor birth, the sticky amalgamation gets discharged.

In the US, wax impaction results in 12 million patient visit yearly. Doctors remove the wax by flushing it out with the water, suctioning it out using a micro-suction, or pulling it out using different tools.

While experts repeatedly preach to the public that they should not put anything smaller than the elbow inside the ear, that leaves a few choices for people who do not have immediate access to their doctor.

Related information about ear wax is shown on Colossal Cranium's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Ears in Science Times.