Hearing Care Products, Ear Cleaning Kits, Hearing Aid Dehumidifiers

What are Hearing Care Products?

Any kind of device or product that is utilized to help with hearing or ear health can be considered a hearing care product. While actual hearing aids and batteries can be found in their own categories, hearing care products include hearing aid accessories and dryers, impact noise reducers, and specialized professional equipment like hearing aid stethoscopes. Products and devices that help keep the ears clean, healthy and free of excessive cerumen (wax), such as curettes, ear cleaning systems, and creams for the outer ear canal are also included in this category.

Safe and Effective Earwax Removal

Cerumen, more popularly known as earwax, is a necessary component of a healthy ear. Normal amounts of cerumen help protect the ears through its inherent antibacterial lubrication. While ears are generally effective at self-cleaning, allowing for a slow migration of skin cells and earwax from the eardrum to the ear opening, sometimes it may be necessary to help this process along.

Yet, it is important to note that many people tend to be overzealous about ear cleaning, and if too much cerumen is removed, it can result in dry, itchy and often infected ears. Because the ear is such an intricate and delicate area of the body, special care should be applied. Too much cleaning can lead to hearing damage. One should NEVER use cotton-tipped applicators, bobby pins or twisted tissue, paper towel or napkin corners to clean the ears, as these kinds of things will only serve to push the earwax deeper into the ear canal.

If the ears are impacted with too much cerumen, cleaning is definitely indicated. Excessive cerumen impaction may cause a host of symptoms which include plugged ears, partial hearing loss, earaches, itchiness, discharge, odor, tinnitus/ringing or other noises in the ear. Fortunately, there are many safe ear cleaning kits and ear curettes specifically designed for this purpose that one can utilize at home. However, it is always highly recommended to consult with a healthcare professional before performing any ear cleaning at home.

Configured as a slender cylindrical instrument, an ear curette is specifically designed to safely remove excessive cerumen from the ear canal. Also referred to as an ear scoop, ear pick or ear spoon, this tool has come a long way from its early beginnings. Constructed from stainless steel or disposable plastic, most modern curettes are designed as three distinct types; the disk, the wire loop, and the ladle. Consisting of a series of circular plates, the disk tip curette acts as a kind of screw to grab the wax from the walls of the ear canal. The wire loop tip curette is formatted with multiple loop ‘nests’ of wire, or is configured as a spiral, serving as a trap for the cerumen.

As the most widely used type of curette, the ladle type is shaped like a tiny spoon, and is very effective at removing both wet and dry cerumen from the ear canals. Some curettes include lights to help better illuminate the ear canal before performing the cleaning procedure, while others often include some kind of puffy end to help brush dry cerumen flakes from the outside of the ear. Pediatric models often incorporate cartoon figures onto the ends of curettes to make the procedure more child-friendly.

It is extremely important that curettes are not pushed too far into the ear canal, and some models offer safety stops to ensure safer ear cleaning. It is also crucial that the curette be clean and sterilized before every usage, or that a new curette be used if it is a disposable type. Some users prefer utilizing some kind of ear cleaning liquid treatment to help soften the earwax before using a curette to help remove it.

External Ear Infections

Characterized by swelling, scaling, redness and thickening of the skin lining, otitis externa is a painful, inflammatory ear canal condition that causes itchiness, discomfort, discharge and even deafness. It can be caused by either bacterial or fungal infections, or by other non-infectious dermatological issues.

Infectious causes often take hold when the normal bacterial flora is compromised in some way, a condition that lends itself to the overgrowth of bacteria or fungus. Excessive perspiration, high humidity and swimming are all common causes of external ear infections as they create excessive moisture conditions that allow undesirable microorganisms to flourish.

Non-infectious causes of otitis externa include undesirable dermatological conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, acne, and seborrhoeic dermatitis. Other causes encompass allergic- or irritant-contact dermatitis, usually resulting from constant contact with ear plugs, hearing aids or other local irritants.

Fortunately, there are many topical gels, ointments and creams available that are specifically formulated to combat these ear infections safely and effectively.

Hearing Aid Accessories

While hearing aids greatly improve hearing and comprehension for a wide variety of hearing-impaired users, they also present their own care and use protocols that should be followed for the highest performance and functionality. Whether one uses ITE (in the ear), ITC (in the canal), CIC (completely in the canal) or BTE (behind the ear) hearing aids, there are specialized products to assist in keeping these hearing devices functioning at their highest level for years to come.

Because humidity and excess moisture can wreak havoc with hearing aids, it is highly recommended to utilize hearing aid dehumidifiers and/or hearing aid dryers to keep these aids performing at their best. Dehumidifiers and dryers help to remove any moisture that has built up throughout their usage during the day, freshening the hearing aids for the next use. Most of these devices also sanitize the hearing aids, and can also be used for cochlear implants. Hearing aid dryers and dehumidifiers are also usually small and lightweight, making them highly portable and easy to travel with.

Rehabmart is proud to offer superior quality hearing care products from esteemed and experienced vendors, including Bionix Medical Technologies, Hearmore, Independence Medical, Harris Communications and MaxiAids.

Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Co-Founder & CEO

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