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Earwax, also known as CerumenThe accumulation of earwax, better known as cerumen in medical circles, is a relatively common occurrence (prevalence: 3 to 6% in healthy adults, 10% in children). Its accumulation in the ear canal (or otic or auditory canal) can lead to discomfort and hearing loss. In fact, earwax is the most common cause of hearing aid failure. The earwax is deposited along the canal by tiny structures called ceruminous glands ('ceru' is from the latin word 'cera' which means wax). Each ear canal contains anywhere between 1000 to 2000 ceruminous glands. These glands are similar to the apocrine sweat glands that we find in the underarm region. Ceruminous glands work in concert with sabaceous glands to produce small peptides, and waxy/oily substances such as fatty acids, sebum, squalene, and cholesterol.
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There is another factor which tends to complicate the production of cerumen. The ear canal, like the rest of your outer body, is lined with skin. Through a natural process, the epidermal skin cells on the surface of the ear canal undergo a migration of sorts. They originate beneath the surface of the skin (dermis) and move toward the surface (epidermis) where they eventually are sloughed off. Skin is constantly undergoing this process of renewing itself.
Normally, dead skin cells that undergo shedding just fall off and cause no problem. In the ear canal, the skin cells that are sloughed off (a process called skin desquamation) can accumulate in the earwax that is deposited on the surface. As such, these cells help to solidify the wax. As it solidifies with more skin cells, it can lodge itself and become plugged. The earwax plug grows and eventually blocks the ear canal. A blocked ear canal due to earwax is also called an earwax impaction. Desquamated skin cells plays an important role in the formation of earwax and can account for 60% by weight of total cerumen.
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