We’ve said before that using cotton buds to clean your ears is not a good idea (primarily because of the potential damage to the eardrum and the risk of causing permanent damage to your hearing) but now we learn that cotton buds, whether made of biodegradable bamboo or the traditional plastic, can actually kill you!
When I read the news headline, I had a vision of a homicidal cotton bud with legs running around the streets with a machete, but no, we’re talking about a rather nasty ear infection that almost cost an Australian mother her life. You can find the story on Newshub.
Apparently, mother of two Jasmine had a nightly routine of cleaning her ears with a cotton bud but after some years of on and off pain, hearing loss and eventually a brownish discharge and blood appearing, sought advice and was horrified to find that a severe bacterial infection was eating away at her skull, such that without surgery the infection would have spread into Jasmine’s brain resulting in her death. Jasmine needed a five hour operation to remove the infected tissue and reconstruct the ear canal - nasty!
I think the message is pretty clear, do not use cotton buds, or anything else for that matter, since according to Healthline, people shouldn't put anything smaller than their elbow into their ear. There’s only one safe and approved way to remove ear wax, and that’s by microsuction, so book an appointment today to get your ears cleaned the only safe way.