Earwax

Earwax, cerumen, or earwax is a yellowish -brown, oily, bitter secretion of wax glands ( glands ceruminosae, modified sweat glands, apocrine, tubular glands skein ) of the external auditory canal.

Function

The earwax exists in all mammals. It moisturizes the skin in the ear canal and is used to remove dust, dirt, dead skin cells and foreign materials from the ear. It also contains lysozyme and other substances that fight bacteria and to prevent insects from penetrating into the ear canal. There is no such protection, for example by frequent washing or swimming, this can lead to severe ear pain.

Analysis and Ingredients

For determining the constituents are chromatographic separations by column chromatography, gas chromatography and subsequent mass spectrometry are used. In addition to hydrocarbons, squalene, wax esters, triglycerides, cholesterol, cholesterol esters, free fatty acids, hydroxy acids further lipophilic components were described. Approx. 1000 substances have so far been identified. At current research topics of ear wax include peptide-based antimicrobials.

Features

The earwax is in addition to the bile of the two strong bitter-tasting secretions of man. There exists, genetic, humans in dry form (high proportion of saturated fatty acids) and moist form (high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids). The wet type is yellowish, light brown or dark brown and oily- sticky. This type is genetically dominant over the dry variant ( whitish color ).

The dry variant is used in Europe and Africa with less than 3 percent very rare, however, it is 80 to 95 percent in East Asia the most widespread. A medium frequent disclosure exists in South, Central and Asia Minor, the Pacific Islands, with the Native Americans and the Inuit. The composition is controlled by the gene ABCC11.

Risk of blockage of the ear canal

The wax can the ear canal, among other things, when produced in excess, completely close ( Ohrenschmalzpfropf, Ceruminalpfropf, cerumen ) and sudden deafness cause. Also improper self-cleaning (eg with cotton swabs ) can lead to the formation of such grafting. They are flushed out by the doctor ( GP or ear, nose and throat doctor ) with warm water or drawn with the aid of air from the ear. If this is not possible because this graft is too tight, a doctor may swell with the help of collagen - drop the graft to then afterwards rinse it can.