"No Ear Pain... Naturally Discharged Outside," Says Japanese Specialist

"Concerns About Injuries While Cleaning Ears"

A claim by an otolaryngology specialist that there is no need to forcibly remove earwax has become a hot topic in Japan through a video.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 27th, Hiroshi Ueda, an otolaryngology specialist who serves as the chair of the School Health Committee of the Shizuoka Prefecture Branch of the Japan Otolaryngological Society, created a 12-minute video demonstrating that the so-called 'ear cleaning' to remove earwax is basically unnecessary.

Mr. Ueda observed the inside of an adult woman's ear canal for five months and filmed the slow movement of the old eardrum skin outward toward the ear opening.

The footage also shows the eardrum skin peeling off near the ear entrance, becoming earwax, and naturally being expelled outside.

Mr. Ueda stated, "Cleaning the ear can risk causing internal injuries."

Seiichi Shinden, chief otolaryngologist at Utsunomiya Hospital of the Saiseikai (濟生會), also said, "We do not recommend ear cleaning."

However, he added, "Some people have very sticky earwax," and if it is a concern for aesthetic reasons or other factors, it is advisable to gently wipe the ear entrance within 1 cm using a cotton swab about once every two weeks to one month.