Ear wax is an essential part of your body’s natural defences, stopping dirt and bacteria from getting into your eardrum and causing an infection.
For the most part, it does not require you to do anything, as the movement of your jaw pushes ear wax out, although same-day ear wax removal services are available if it gets stuck.
This can be more or less likely depending on the size and shape of your ear canals, how much ear wax your sebaceous and ceruminous glands produce and how old it is.
Ear wax is slightly different for everyone, but here are the most common colours and what they mean:
- Yellow – Healthy and fresh ear wax, proving your ears are working as normal.
- Orange – Slightly older, potentially more sticky or flaky, but otherwise healthy.
- Brown – Older earwax, although usually still healthy unless it is causing discomfort.
- Green – Potentially a sign of an ear infection, particularly if there is pus.
- Red – Potentially a sign of injury caused by a cut or scratch in your ear canal.
- Black – Impacted, often the root cause of tinnitus or temporary hearing loss.
However, there are also two distinct types of ear wax determined by your genetics, which can affect how your ears are affected, whether blockages are more likely, and when microsuction becomes necessary.
Most people born in Europe or Africa, or who have oily skin, have “wet” earwax, which tends to appear more yellow, is more sticky and is slightly harder to clean.
By contrast, dry earwax is found in people born in Asia or people with drier skin, which appears grey, flaky and typically falls out of the ear more quickly.
These two types are determined by your genes and do not reflect anything about your ears. As long as they are not causing you issues, you should not worry about them, and microsuctioning treatments are available to help if they are.
