From the hygiene ritual to danger: how cotton out
When Bello Issa, 47, entered the ear, the nose and the department of Throat (EV) of the Teaching Hospital of the University of Danfodio de la Usmanu (Uduth), Sokoto, looked like a man who had lost something more than sleep.
“I used cotton outbreaks every night,” he said, lying in a chair in the department of ENT.
“Every night after brushing my teeth, they cleaned my ears. I thought the wax was dirty. So, one morning, I woke up and I could barely listen to the radio. When I leaned, I heard a pop, then pain. I felt that something had broken.”
The doctors diagnosed microperforation of the tympanic membrane and chronic irritation of years of survey.
“They said he had damaged the channel. The wax was deeply pushed. I stopped using cotton sprouts, but my audition has not completely returned,” says the pain recorded just below the surface.
On the other side of the waiting room, little Amirah, only seven years old, bowed to her mother’s shoulder. His mother, Aminah, was clearly blamed on her face.
“After each bath, I always cleaned my ears. Everyone around me said it was adequate hygiene. One day, he shouted with pain, and his teacher later complained that he was not responding in class,” Aminah recalled.
“In Uduth, they eliminated the deeply rooted wax, but they warned me that I never used cotton shoots after receiving some medications. I felt that I had failed.”
Their stories reflect a growing reality in which cotton shoots, considered the essential elements of the home, are silently damaging the ears in Nigerian homes.
The silent defense of the ear
Unknown to many, the ear wax, medically called hills, is not land. It is the natural guard of the ear. Catch the dust, keep bacteria at bay, lubricate the channel and migrate out on its own. Insert a cotton outbreak interrupts this delicate balance. Instead of cleaning, push the deepest wax, compress it and run the risk of scratching the fragile chilling of the channel or even rupture of the eardrum.
Talking to Tribune Online, Dr. Abubakar Muhammad, AT Surgeon said: “We see this every day. People think they stay clean, but they are actually creating problems. From wax impacted to infections and perforations, cotton shoots are one of the most common causes of the complications of the ear in Nigeria.”
Experts weigh
Nigeria specialists have long warned against this daily habit. Dr. Adekunle Daniel, consultant Inclujano, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, in a report previously published by Tribune Online, described the use of cotton shoots as a causative problem.
“It is quite normal for children to have wax. You really do nothing about it unless the wax is causing a problem. It is the use of a cotton outbreak that now causes interruption in that self-migratory mechanism, causing the wax to be affected. In general, you should not clean your ears.”
Professor Titus Ibekwe, ATE surgeon consultant, also warned against the use of cotton outbreaks, saying that this exercise can be tempting but must be handled.
“It is tempting to use cotton sprouts or other objects when you feel that your ears are blocked, but this can interrupt the natural cycle of wax production, which actually acts as a self -impressive agent.
“The ear wax is the normal substance that the body produces to clean and protect the ears. The use of any object to eliminate said wax will push it even more to the channel, which will cause a blockade, which, in the long term, causes hearing loss, among other complications.
“It is not supposed to clean the ear with anything, because the auditory channel has the type of configuration that will prevent it from eliminating the planned dirt or wax.
“The problem is that the efforts to eliminate the ear candle only create more problems because the ears wax is pushing down and impacting even more on the ear channel.
“Anything that adjusts to the ear can cause serious damage to the eardrum and the channel, with the potential for temporary or even permanent damage,” he added
These warnings are made worldwide by medical experts and public health agencies.
Research and data that cannot be ignored
The damage caused by cotton shoots is not anecdotal; It is well documented. An American study (1990–2010) My dear More than 263,000 children treated in emergency rooms due to lesions of the cotton tip applicator. Many suffered hearing loss, perforated eardrums and bleeding.
In Nigeria, research at the Ekiti State University Hospital, reported The routine routine cleaning among children led to serious complications: 32.4% had an external channel auditory lesion, 21.5% suffered struck foreign bodies and 6.5% developed traumatic perforated eardrums.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates That more than 430 million people live worldwide with deactivating hearing loss, a figure is expected to reach 700 million by 2050. Risk habits such as the misuse of cotton outbreak, especially in low -income countries, continue to drive these rise numbers.
Change damage mechanics
In most Nigerian households, cotton sprouts are purchased along with toothpaste and soap, considered part of hygiene. Mothers clean children’s ears after bathrooms; Young adults are looking for shoots after showers, believing that visible wax is dirt.
However, medical experts insist on wax do not need to be eliminated. It is produced by glands on the channel, captures dust, avoids bacteria and, naturally, moves outward, often helped by chewing and jaw movements.
According to experts, when an outbreak is inserted, several harmful things occur simultaneously: the wax is pushed in the place of outside; The delicate skin of the channel is scratched; The outbreak fibers can stay inside; Excessive force runs the risk of drilling the eardrum; Repeated lesions cause recurrent infections. The surgeons of the ENT in Nigeria confirm seeing these complications every week.
Speaking about the restructuring of the mentality against what is considered a good hygiene of the ear, Dr. Abubakar of Uduth urged parents to rethink the habit.
“If you see wax at the entrance of the auditory channel, limit it with a wet cloth. Do not insert anything inside. Go to the hospital for proper check and a better treatment.”
It also recommends stronger public health interventions: school -based education, warning labels on cotton containers and radio and television awareness campaigns.
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