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A member asked:
Is it safe to use a cotton swab to gently clean the gunk out of my ear? i have otitis externa and am using the ear drops
A doctor has provided 1 answer
"No!" (well, maybe): The usual advice for cleaning ears is "nothing smaller than your elbow" goes in your ears. Eg; NO Q-tips, Bic pen tops, chop sticks, etc. However, you probably have some drainage so gently cleaning the OUTSIDE of your ear would be fine, but I would avoid putting anything in the ear canal. Doing so, while tempting, usually just makes things worse by jamming the canal full of wax.
Answered 3/1/2015
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