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Ear candling is something that people seem to either love, or they’ve never heard of it. But it’s becoming more and more popular, and that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Ear candling is meant to remove earwax buildup, a task that is not easily done and that’s generally pretty gross. It’s supposed to not only clean your ears of wax, but also promote balance, sinus health, and of course, hearing.
It’s generally done in a spa or by an acupuncturist. Your hair and face are covered, and then the tapered end of a 9- to 12-inch candle is placed in your ear. Then, the candle is litk and the warm air is supposed to create a suction in your ear that gets rid of wax. Then, the candle is pulled out to reveal a chunk of wax at the end.
However, though this process may be soothing, doctors like Mas Takashima, M.D., director of the Sinus Center at Baylor College warn that it’s not really doing anything.
“You may enjoy it because of the warmth of the candle, but studies show that there’s no wax removed from your ear. The wax you see at the end is from the candle itself.”
Ear candling not only doesn’t get rid of wax, it can also be legitimately dangerous.
Tahl Colen, M.D., of ENT and Allergy Associates of Tarrytown, New York, said, “I had one patient who had a hole burned in her eardrum. Even after an operation to repair it, the eardrum closed and caused permanent damage.”
In fact, the danger of ear candling is so great that the USDA advises against it.
The biggest tip experts have for getting rid of earwax? Don’t. A bit of earwax is good for preventing particles from entering your ear canal, and it prevents infection.
If you have a lot of earwax, try using an OTC earwax syringe with warm water. But if you have so much buildup that it’s messing with your hearing, you’ll just have to see a specialist. And please, don’t stick a candle in your ear.
