Treatments

What we offer instead of old syringing

People still ask for “ear syringing” because that is what the GP used to do. The safe options today are microsuction and electronic irrigation. We choose after looking in the ear, not before you arrive.

Microsuction — our usual method

A fine, sterile suction tube removes wax while we watch the canal through a magnified view. It is a dry technique: no water goes into the ear. ENT specialists generally regard it as the most controlled way to clear wax.

  • Continuous view of the ear canal
  • Suitable for many people who cannot have water in the ear
  • Helpful for hard or impacted wax, and for hearing-aid users
  • Typical appointment 15–30 minutes

You may hear a sucking sound. A few people feel brief dizziness if the tube works close to the eardrum. We stop if it is uncomfortable.

Electronic irrigation — modern “syringing”

This is not a metal syringe. A purpose-built irrigator delivers warm water at a controlled low pressure to wash wax out. UK guidance (NICE NG98) allows this in trained hands, and says adults should not be offered old-fashioned manual syringing.

  • Familiar “flushing” sensation for people who preferred syringing
  • Water warmed towards body temperature to reduce dizziness
  • Wax softeners beforehand, or immediately before treatment
  • We always look afterwards to check the eardrum

Irrigation is the wrong choice if there is a perforation, grommets, recent ear surgery, infection, or hearing in only one ear. See the screening list below.

Side by side

Old manual syringing Electronic irrigation Microsuction
Still recommended? No — NICE: do not offer to adults Yes if trained, equipped, and no contraindications Yes — widely used in ENT clinics
Water in the ear? Yes, uncontrolled pressure Yes, controlled pressure No — dry
View during treatment Usually before and after only Usually before and after Throughout
Hole in the eardrum / grommets Unsafe Unsafe Often possible — we decide on the day
We offer it? No Yes, when suitable Yes — first choice for most patients

Sources: NICE guideline NG98; NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary on earwax (revised 2025); ENT UK clinical guidance on microsuction (2024).

Who this clinic is for

  • Adults and young people aged 16 and over
  • Blocked ears after olive oil has not cleared the wax
  • Hearing-aid users whose moulds are blocked or whistling
  • People told by a GP, nurse or audiologist that wax is present
  • Housebound patients (home visit, local area)

When we will not treat — and will send you to a GP or ENT

  • Active infection, pus, or a wet discharging ear
  • A foreign object in the canal
  • You cannot sit reasonably still
  • Under 16 — please use your GP or paediatric ENT
  • Severe pain, sudden hearing loss, or facial weakness

Irrigation is also off the table if you have (or ever had) a perforated eardrum, grommets in place, cleft palate, ear surgery, mucus discharge in the last year, or hearing in only one ear. Microsuction may still be possible; we decide after looking, and we refer on if the ear needs a hospital clinic.

Risks, said plainly

Wax removal is usually straightforward. It is still a procedure inside a delicate canal, so we ask for consent every time.

More common: brief discomfort, a loud sucking sound, temporary fullness, a little dizziness, slight soreness or a tiny spot of blood from the canal skin.

Less common: otitis externa (an outer-ear infection), a short flare of tinnitus, incomplete clearance so you need a second visit.

Rare: eardrum perforation, lasting hearing change, or injury to the middle ear. ENT UK quotes trauma to the canal skin at about 1 in 20 for microsuction (usually settling in minutes) and trauma to the eardrum at fewer than 1 in 10,000.

If anything feels wrong during treatment we stop. If you develop severe pain, sudden deafness, spinning vertigo, or discharge after you leave, contact us the same day and seek GP or ENT advice — NHS 111 if we are closed.

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