This occurs at the outer ear canal. Outer ear is between auricle and ear drum.
Ear canal narrows in the middle part. Outer part of the canal is lined with skin. Skin contains secretory glands and hair cells. These secretions and hairs prevent foreign materials to enter to the ear. This secretion mostly gets dry and is thrown away, -with foreign substances in it- by ciliary cells of the skin. To put small substances to the ear canal to clean these secretions are dangerous since they push them inside in which ear cannot throw them out because of lack of ciliary cells inside.
Should we clean our ears? Ear secretion occur at the outer part of the ear canal not inside. Trying to clean them causes these substances to go inside rather than cleaning them. Even sometimes they can go until to the ear drum and may give harm to it.
Ear secretions cover the ear canal and protect it. Absence of it causes dry and itchy ear.
Ear canal mostly cleans itself. Ear secretions are pushed from inside to outside by ciliary cells continuously. They come to the canal and fall down.
You do not have to clean your ears under ideal conditions.
Sometimes ear secretions block outer end of the ear canal causing hearing decrease. Under this circumstance doctor will clean it.
You should know if there is a hole in your ear drum. If your drum is perforated ear drops are not used. Please be aware of it.
Does it cause a habit to clean ear? No. Since some ears cannot push the secretions out, these people have their ears to be cleaned periodically. They commend that cleaning makes them have this habbit. This is an untrue commend. Ear secretion will accumulate in these patients’ ears even if they are cleaned or not.