We seek to review the medical literature and explore the cultural practices and lore of self-ear-cleaning to arrive at appropriate medical advice for our patients.

The medical consensus recommends against the practice of self-ear-cleaning as it may lead to complications or injury. There is a wide gap between the recommendations of the medical community and the general public's perception about ear-cleaning habits. Despite ample advice, the practice of ear cleaning with swabs is pervasive.

A review of the available medical literature reveals a few articles that associate self-ear-clearing with injury. Even fewer articles provide data as to the prevalence of self-ear-cleaning making the relative risk of such a practice difficult to ascertain. Despite this scarcity of data, most authors continue to advocate for avoiding the practice of self-ear-cleaning.

In light of the ubiquitous use of cotton tip swabs, the practice of self-ear-cleaning deserves additional medical evaluation to identify safe and acceptable procedures regarding contemporary hygiene of the ear. It appears likely that medical advice for self-ear-cleaning has been disproportionately influenced by the unusual adverse outcomes that are possible rather than evidence-based guidelines.

Sperling NM, Portnoy WM. To Swab or Not to Swab: Appropriate Medical Advice Regarding Self-Ear-Cleaning. Int J Head Neck Surg 2016;7(1):1-4.