Earworms, also known as earwax and medically called cerumen, are one of the common body secretions. In life, many people are willing to clean the ear canal with an ear scoop by themselves, while others choose to use a cotton swab stick to stick out the earworms. However, sometimes, mistakes in operation and too many earworms occur occasionally, and at such times, it is often difficult for individuals to cope with the situation and they need to seek medical advice. Today, let’s get to know the earworms. Medical research has shown that ceruminous glands exist in the cartilaginous skin of our external auditory canal and, like sweat glands and tear glands, are the outlets for secretions from our body. The secretions secreted by the ceruminous glands are cerumen. The secretion is initially in the form of molten wax, which gradually dries and solidifies into flakes, forming the common yellow mass commonly known as earwax. The ceruminous material in the ear canal plays a protective role for the external auditory canal, especially for the eardrum. Under normal conditions, its presence can help the ear canal maintain a relatively stable temperature, humidity, and can absorb some of the noise and protect the eardrum. The yellow part is the cerumen gland Generally speaking, cerumen in the ear canal can be discharged naturally with movement, jaw activity and other behaviors. However, there are some special circumstances such as irritation of the external auditory canal, deformity of the external auditory canal, narrowing of the external auditory canal, or too few villi, etc., which can lead to more and more cerumen, and the accumulation of cerumen over a long period of time will result in cerumen embolism. Cerumen impaction can affect hearing and, in severe cases, can lead to tinnitus and dizziness. When cerumen impaction occurs, it is not recommended to do it by yourself because there are many foreign bodies in the ear canal and the accumulated cerumen is hard and difficult to remove. Patients are usually advised to go to the hospital and have the cerumen removed by a doctor. If the cerumen is removed without obstruction, it can be removed using a small hook or tweezers. If pain or obstruction occurs during removal, brute force should be avoided. Glycerin, hydrogen peroxide or other solutions can be dropped into the ear to soften the lumpy cerumen, and then removed with small hooks and tweezers after the cerumen has softened. If the cerumen still cannot be removed successfully, professional medication should be used, and the earwax should be sucked out with a special suction device after dropping it into the ear for a few hours. The whole process needs to be done as carefully as possible. If violence is used, the inner side of the external auditory canal can be easily injured and the eardrum can be seriously damaged. Yellow lumps are cerumen, where embolism has occurred The production of cerumen is a long-term process. People have different body types and ceruminous glands secrete ceruminous material at different rates, so the amount of time each person needs to have their ear canals cleaned varies from person to person. However, too frequent cleaning is generally not recommended, as each operation may injure the ear canal and eardrum. Normal ear use does not lead to significant changes in cerumen secretion, but long-term use of headphones, earphones and other devices will stimulate the ear canal to secrete more cerumen, so people who use headphone devices for a long period of time are prone to higher cerumen secretion.