Doctor, won't the child be deaf in the future? "A parent asked regretfully and urgently in the ear, nose, throat, head and neck surgery room of Dongguan Maternal and Child Health Hospital. Her three year old child, Xiao Bao (pseudonym), was diagnosed with traumatic perforation of the right eardrum due to continuous bleeding from using a cotton swab to pull out his ear
Doctor, won't the child be deaf in the future? "A parent asked regretfully and urgently in the ear, nose, throat, head and neck surgery room of Dongguan Maternal and Child Health Hospital. Her three year old child, Xiao Bao (pseudonym), was diagnosed with traumatic perforation of the right eardrum due to continuous bleeding from using a cotton swab to pull out his ear. Luo Xianglin, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Dongguan Maternal and Child Health Hospital, reminds that ear wax (cerumen) does not need to be cleaned and can mostly be discharged on its own.
Tympanic membrane perforation caused by children pulling out their ears
Recently, a three year old patient with "tympanic membrane perforation" was admitted to the Ear, Nose, Throat, Head and Neck Surgery Clinic of Dongguan Maternal and Child Health Hospital. The parents of the child told us that while Xiaobao watched his family pull out his ear, he also used a cotton swab to imitate the movements of an adult. However, after trying to pull it out, his right ear continued to bleed. The child was urgently sent to the hospital, and after a series of examinations, the doctor diagnosed it as a right side traumatic perforation of the eardrum.
With the consent of the parents, the doctor performed endoscopic repair of tympanic membrane perforation for Xiao Bao. Now, Xiaobao's right eardrum has completely healed and returned to its normal state.
Earwax (cerumen) is not a necessary waste to clean up. It has the function of protecting the skin of the external ear canal, preventing foreign objects from entering the ear canal, maintaining acid-base balance and bacterial colony homeostasis in the ear canal. "Luo Xianglin said that most people's earwax can be excreted on its own, such as when speaking, laughing, chewing, and yawning, earwax will naturally fall off with the movement of the lower jaw joint and be expelled from the body.
Frequent ear tapping has many drawbacks
Frequent ear tapping can actually stimulate the skin of the external auditory canal to secrete more ear wax, resulting in more and more ear wax being pulled out. Improper use of force may also damage the skin of the ear canal, or push the ear wax into the ear canal near the eardrum to form cerumen embolism. More seriously, if the eardrum is accidentally punctured, it can lead to hearing loss and even permanent hearing loss. "Luo Xianglin pointed out that ear tapping, slapping, firecracker sound damage, air pressure injury from flying or diving Insects and other foreign objects entering the ear, ear infections, and other factors are common causes of tympanic membrane perforation. Once the eardrum perforation occurs, it can lead to hearing loss, infection of otitis media, and severe neurological hearing loss.
What should I do if my ears itch in daily life? Luo Xianglin told reporters that when there is slight itching in the ears, you can use your fingers to massage the anterior wall of the external auditory canal or the posterior wall of the external auditory canal to relieve the itching. In addition, you can also use the other hand to slightly touch the head, pull the auricle back and up, and use a cotton swab to gently enter the wall of the external auditory canal. At this time, the external auditory canal is spacious and straight, which is not easy to damage, and the cotton swab is also easier to scratch the itchy area.
If it's wet and oily earwax or if the earwax is large and hard, you can go to the hospital and have a professional ear, nose, and throat doctor help you remove it, "she said, reminding you not to use cotton swabs, wooden sticks, ear digging spoons, etc. to forcefully poke your ears to avoid damage such as eardrum perforation.
Interviewer: Nan Du Reporter Huang Fangfang Source: Dongguan Maternal and Child Health Hospital
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