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A member asked:
My doctor looked in my ear after complaining of pain and immediately knew i used q-tips without me telling her. how did she know?
6 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Scratches: The skin inside the ear is very delicate. The cotton on q-tips can scratch the surface, leading to infection or bleeding and an increase in ear wax production to try and protect the skin. Q-tips can also pack the wax down in the ear canal, making it harder to get out.
Answered 4/2/2014
5.2k views
cerumen plug: Use of q-tips pushes ear wax deeper into the ear canal where it tends to build up. It can then dry out and form a plug, easily visible through an otoscope.
Answered 3/24/2014
4.8k views
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