
The strange life of Q-tips, the most bizarre thing people buy - aaronbrethorst
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/20/we-have-a-q-tips-problem/
======
escape_goat
Humans have two entirely different types of ear wax, determined by heredity,
named "dry" ear wax and "wet" ear wax. I am mentioning this because I only
came across the information recently, despite having had problems with itchy
ears for years, and despite having participated in many discussions about ear
wax. I can see that there are already some strong disagreements beginning here
in the comments.

The two varieties have significantly different properties. "Dry" ear wax tends
to be crumbly and flaky, and can usually be removed effectively with a curette
(if you dare). "Wet" ear tends to be dark, smelly, and sticky.

I do not think that people with dry ear wax, in particular, really understand
what people with "wet" ear wax are saying when they talk about ear wax buildup
and removal.

~~~
tmnvix
I don't recall the source, but I remember learning that dry earwax is almost
unheard of in people of African and European descent. It's most common in
Asian people.

Even more interesting is that there is apparently a very strong correlation
between the type of earwax you have and whether or not your body odour (sweat-
related) is strong. I was surprised to learn that many asian people never use
deodorant because they simply don't need it.

~~~
cariaso
A single letter change in DNA causes all of this.

At the position named

[http://snpedia.com/index.php/Rs17822931](http://snpedia.com/index.php/Rs17822931)

Europeans usually have a C while Asians usually have a T.

If you have a T from both parents, you have dry earwax.

~~~
martiuk
If only I could edit my DNA, using this resource.

~~~
marklyon
We're making a baby who's just like me, only better.

It's legal in the states where it's not banned.

------
ricardobeat

        The ones who keep coming
        back with infections are 
        the ones who don't listen.
    

It's not every day you see an article on a major publication end with such a
shameless pun.

~~~
JshWright
What's the pun...?

~~~
pawn
They don't listen (hear) because their ears are clogged would be the punny
second meaning.

~~~
JshWright
Hmm... That seems like the most obvious way to phrase that (without any
intention of making a pun).

------
haberman
The whole story sounds like a huge case of selection bias.

Doctors encounter lots of people whose ear injuries are attributable to
Q-tips. They therefore conclude that Q-tips should never be used to clean
ears.

But people who know how to clean their ears without damaging them don't go to
the doctor to complain about their healthy ears.

For example, pushing the wax inwards is obviously a bad idea, but this can be
avoided.

~~~
soared
Did you read the article? You don't need to, and in fact aren't supposed to,
clean your ears.

~~~
rdancer
You don't need to floss or wipe your butt either, but not everybody is a
Tarzan.

~~~
escape_goat
I could use a fact check from a medical doctor here, but my recollection is
that you _do_ in fact need to wipe or otherwise wash your butt. If you didn't,
the result would be skin irritation, rash, eventual sores, sepsis, and
suppuration or abscess.

As a pragmatic matter, flossing your teeth will help to improve both the
quality and duration of your life.

~~~
adrianN
I'd guess that this depends on your pooping technique and diet. If you squat
to poop and have enough fiber in your diet you should stay fairly clean even
without wiping. Most animals seem to manage with only occasional cleaning of
their private parts.

~~~
mercer
It sounds like you're in agreement. You _do_ need to clean your butt, just as
animals do. Just not necessarily every day or with toilet paper...

------
derekp7
If you frequently get large amounts of ear wax buildup to the point where it
is blocking your hearing, there is a product called Maurine ear wax removal
kit, which does work effectively (I have to use it about once every couple
years).

It is sort of an oily type of drops that you put in your ear, leave it (with
your head tilted sideways) for a half our or so, and it ends up crystallizing
the wax so that it will fall out naturally. You can actually hear it working,
ind of like a bubbling sound. Afterwords you use the bulb syringe that comes
with the kit to flush out the ear canal.

~~~
koliber
My daughter had an ear wax build up. The doctor said that I should put a few
drops of olive oil in her ear, or alternatively use an over-the-counter oily
type of ear wax removal solution (not sure of brand name). I went to pharmacy
and checked the ingredient list of the ear wax removal solution: olive oil!

Note: This happened in Poland, about three months ago.

~~~
apricot
I had the same problem when I was young. So much ear wax after a particularly
bad cold that it prevented me to hear clearly. It lasted a long time,
definitely more than a day. My mother put a few drops of olive oil in my ear,
and told me to lie down so the oil would stay in the ear.

After a few minutes of this, suddenly I heard crackling in my ear. I decided
to yawn... and I heard this huge "CRRRRACK" sound from inside my ear, felt a
very weird sensation as the oil found its way past the wax buildup, and
suddenly I could hear clearly. It was glorious.

------
eknkc
In Turkey, we've been literally calling them "ear sticks" (kulak çöpü). Only
recently It started changing.

When the name is that, it makes sense to poke your ears with them.

I tell people not to use them in their ears but everyone is so used to the
idea, it sounds absurd when you argue that ear sticks are bad for ears.

~~~
Scoundreller
Yep, it's right up there with wearing socks so you don't catch a cold.

------
cmcginty
Well, I agree that Q-Tips have the potential to do more harm then good, but
this probably the extreme 1% of cases. I think the key takeaway is never try
to reach back to your ear drum, and don't make it a daily habit. I
occasionally use q-tips to clean my ears 6 to 8 times a year and have never
had any issue with wax or infections.

The real ear "killer" out there is loud noise and daily abuse. You're more
likely to damage your ears listening to earbuds 8 hours, Mon to Fri or going
to a monthly concert/club with 100+dB for 4 to 6 hours with no ear protection.

Talk to an ENT about serious issue like tinnitus and they'll tell you with a
straight face that a) they don't really know what causes it and b) the
prescribed treatment is "just try to ignore it". It doesn't produce a lot of
faith that the science is really there. For me this article is closer to fad
nutrition advice that consistently contradicts the previous reports.

------
rdancer
"[T]o twist Q-tips in our ears [...] feels great. [...] Tickling their insides
triggers all sorts of visceral pleasure."

Is this article coming from some alternate reality where people clean their
ears for some dangerous guilty pleasure, and ear wax does not need to be
cleaned away just as any other bodily secretion?

~~~
simonsquiff
Oh yes - I'm one of those people. Sticking a q-tip in your ear feels soooo
good. It's ticklishly, itch scratchingly good. It also feels better the longer
you leave it - if I've not used one for a few weeks it's a genuine pleasure.

It's also a common anecdote that having your ear syringed by a professional is
one of the most pleasurable non-sexual feelings. So yes, it's a thing. It's
definitely a key part of the reason I [mis]use q-tips. I'm surprised by your
comment that you had no idea it was seen as pleasurable!

~~~
rdancer
You must be kidding. It is uncomfortable to stick anything in one's ears; do
you feel pleasure when putting something deep into the nasal cavity as well?
For me, that's similarly uncomfortable.

~~~
koliber
You see, people are different.

------
subnaught
When a friend was in med school, she was told by an ear doctor that a Q-tip
removes only material that would have fallen out naturally, while at the same
time pushing everything else in further. The doctor also said that Q-tips are
what keep them in business.

~~~
rhino369
When I first heard that I wasn't supposed to use qtips my ears I stopped.
Couple months later the wax built up and sealed my ears so I couldn't hear. I
thought I went deaf over night. I had to have a doctor pull out a gross amount
of ear wax.

They must be doing something for me. I went back to them and it never happened
again. Could be a coincidence I guess.

~~~
frogpelt
I've heard that cleaning your ears causes more wax to be produced. Maybe this
is why your ears ended up chock full.

~~~
pc2g4d
I could definitely believe that. Something along the lines of "using chapstick
makes your lips produce less moisture, thus making the chapstick seem more
necessary". Our bodies like their equilibria and will adjust to preserve them
when interfered with.

------
msamwald
The odd thing is that articles on the topic and seemingly all medical doctors
assume that there is only a single way in which Q-tips can be used for ear
cleaning purposes.

I think that there are several possible ways besides simply inserting the
Q-tip in a straight motion and thereby pushing earwax towards the tympanum.
Personally, the way I use Q-tips is to insert them from below the ear at a 45
degree angle, constantly rotating the Q-tip and then performing a swipe around
the ear canal while keeping up the rotating motion (resembling the precession
movement of a gyroscope). Using this technique, I never had any issues with
pushing earwax towards the tympanum or irritating the ear canal. The
advantages are less itching in the ear canal caused by ear wax, and having no
visible crumbles of ear wax falling out of my ears. I seem to have the "wet"
ear wax type.

It seems like this is a common and weird instance of problems that re-occur
when medical professionals give advice to patients and the general public:

* Lack of insight into why people are exhibiting the behaviour. For me at least, the natural buildup of ear wax produces itching, and using Q-tips is a significant relief. In the re-occuring advice to the public by medical professionals this seems to be ignored.

* Lack of understanding of the importance of aesthetics. Yes, it might be natural to have large crumbs of ear wax visibly protruding from your ear canal, but that does not make it irrational to dislike how it looks. Ignorance of such social factors leads to 'unexplained' lack of compliance with medical advice, which in turn leads to a decrease in the quality of doctor-patient relationship and ineffective public health interventions.

* Lack of interest in harm reduction approaches. For several decades articles like the OP have been published, seemingly with minor or no effect on actual practices. It might be more reasonable to accept that people are very keen on cleaning their ears, and to find strategies to reduce the potential harm while still letting people do what they want. Simple advice on HOW to use a Q-tip without harming yourself (don't push in too much, don't push in straight if you really can't do without it) might have more overall positive impact.

------
beachstartup
this is how they clean ears in asia:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_pick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_pick)

~~~
to3m
I think you'd need the cotton bit for Western-style earwax (which I suspect
dominates in the US - see
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earwax#Physiology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earwax#Physiology)),
or some water. But it could just be a question of technique.

~~~
rcthompson
Today I learned that there are different kinds of earwax.

------
mafro
I can't believe they wrote so much about what we English call cotton buds.
Interesting tale, though.

~~~
mchahn
The generic name in america is cotton swabs. Cotton buds are the generic name
in the U.K.

------
ncw33
Indeed, I clicked on the link because I thought, "That's interesting, I wonder
what a Q-tip is". Then I found it was just another name for a cotton bud, and
was disappointed: I'm sure there are more bizarre items than that!

------
YokoZar
I find it hard to blame Q-tips when common ear buds these days go just as far
in the ear.

~~~
nibnib
Most ear buds are larger and don't get twisted or worked around in there. I
think the health issues predate ear buds too.

I am curious if ear buds case the same injuries though.

------
evolve2k
Here in Australia at most pharmacists/chemists/drug stores you can buy ear
candles. With the help of a friend you lie on one side, place the candle
funnel in your ear and light the far end. The concept being that as the candle
gets hotter the heat draws earwax and gunk out of your ear. It's meant to be
pretty safe (as long as you don't let the candle burn you/anything around you.

I've since heard that the candles might not actually work, anyone know
anything on this ear clearing option?

~~~
pherq
They're covered early on in Bad Science, the short answer is that they do
nothing except put you at risk of burns from wax, etc. You can test this
fairly easily by putting one above a dusty surface and noting that it wont
disturbe the dust beneath it.

------
oxplot
My grandma used to use the loop side of a safety pin to clean her ears. I
personally use q-tips but I only do the twist thing at the very entrance of
the canal. The point is to keep a clean "appearance".

------
Grue3
I remember when I was little, my mother used to clean my ears with those
_against my will_. "We continue to twist Q-tips in our ears thanks to a simple
truth: It feels great." Well, to me it felt awful and obviously I never used
those myself. Now I can feel smugly superior because even as a baby I knew
these things are bullshit.

------
Zigurd
There is another product category called "ear spoons" which don't seem to have
been stigmatized like Q-Tips. Why so?

~~~
tarikjn
Because they are the right tool that most people using Q-tips should be using
instead. Surprised that this article doesn't cover that.

------
rocky1138
There is a third option to their two: rename the product to Q-Tips, Everything
But Ears!

------
robbrown451
First of all, cleaning your ear canals with Q-Tips feels really good. That
seems important, but they don't mention this at all.

Secondly, sure, the wax will fall out on its own if you don't Q-tip it....but
do you like looking at people with little gobs of wax falling out of their
ears?

I clean my ears regularly with Q-tips for those two reasons. Yes I stick them
in the ear canal. No I don't push the wax deeper (you just need to twist as
you put it in). And no I've never in my 50 years had an ear infection or hurt
the eardrum.

~~~
jrockway
> First of all, cleaning your ear canals with Q-Tips feels really good. That
> seems important, but they don't mention this at all.

Actually, they use almost the exact wording you used to explain this in the
article:

> We continue to twist Q-tips in our ears thanks to a simple truth: It feels
> great.

I thought this was especially interesting. The thought of putting a Q-tip in
my ear freaks me out big time. (Surely I've done it at least once, and I
remember it making a loud noise, and it feeling like you're going to puncture
your eardrum. And I have no real sensitivity in my ears, I've slept with
earplugs every night for a decade!)

~~~
robbrown451
Somehow I missed that. Oops.

------
mrweasel
I've only read about people sticking Q-tips in their ears. The only real-life
use I've seen is make-up removal.

------
throwaway7767
Fun fact: in Iceland, Q-tips are called "Eyrnapinnar", which literally means
"ear pins".

------
taternuts
So I guess the moral of the story is that you should never be sticking
anything into your ear canal?

~~~
randycupertino
Nothing smaller than your elbow.

~~~
jasperry
I've actually heard this one, but I think it's "smaller".

~~~
randycupertino
Ack, you're right! Corrected.

~~~
stan_rogers
I would venture to guess that cramming something larger than your elbow into
your ear canal would be likely to have some serious medical consequences as
well. (I'm not convinced that using something precisely elbow-sized is
entirely safe either.)

~~~
Jtsummers
That's always been the point of the expression, from my understanding. Nothing
the size of your elbow will fit into your ear (without seriously screwing up
your day). So if you are only allowed to stick things that size or larger in,
then nothing should go in your ear (canal).

------
shoover
Reading this is thread is making my ears itch.

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frgewut
Is it safe to use finger for cleaning ears?

