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Humans have two entirely different types of ear wax, determined by heredity, named "dry" ear wax and "wet" ear wax. I am mentioning this because I only came ac
by escape_goat 11y ago
Humans have two entirely different types of ear wax, determined by heredity, named "dry" ear wax and "wet" ear wax. I am mentioning this because I only came across the information recently, despite having had problems with itchy ears for years, and despite having participated in many discussions about ear wax. I can see that there are already some strong disagreements beginning here in the comments.
The two varieties have significantly different properties. "Dry" ear wax tends to be crumbly and flaky, and can usually be removed effectively with a curette (if you dare). "Wet" ear tends to be dark, smelly, and sticky.
I do not think that people with dry ear wax, in particular, really understand what people with "wet" ear wax are saying when they talk about ear wax buildup and removal.
- tmnvix 11y agoI don't recall the source, but I remember learning that dry earwax is almost unheard of in people of African and European descent. It's most common in Asian people. Even more interesting is that there is apparently a very strong correlation between the type of earwax you have and whether or not your body odour (sweat-related) is strong. I was surprised to learn that many asian people never use deodorant because they simply don't need it.
- anon4 11y agoThat's weird. I have dry earwax and my brother has the wet variety.
- escape_goat 11y agoDry earwax is a recessive trait. Here's a nice source I found when fact [double] checking my answer if you'd like to read more: http://udel.edu/~mcdonald/mythearwax.html http://udel.edu/~mcdonald/mythearwax.html
- tmnvix 11y agoI'm curious to know if he's the smellier one.
- cariaso 11y agoA single letter change in DNA causes all of this. At the position named http://snpedia.com/index.php/Rs17822931 http://snpedia.com/index.php/Rs17822931 Europeans usually have a C while Asians usually have a T. If you have a T from both parents, you have dry earwax.
- martiuk 11y agoIf only I could edit my DNA, using this resource.
- marklyon 11y agoWe're making a baby who's just like me, only better. It's legal in the states where it's not banned.
- joshschreuder 11y agoCC with Irish and Dutch descent here. I have wet earwax and normal body odour :(
- herbst 11y agoYou are telling me americans are more stinky because of genetics and not the bad food?
- trextrex 11y agoJust to be clear, when you say "Asian", do you mean east asian, south asian or both? I'm inclined to assume you mean east asian because of your body odour comment.
- tmnvix 11y agoApologies, I did mean east asian. I'm not sure why, but in Australia, NZ, and the US (possibly Canada too) 'asian' is almost always taken to mean east asian. It always takes me a moment to realise that (e.g.) British people commonly use the term to refer to people from the subcontinent.
- dnautics 11y agoSo I am asian (where the allele is more common) and i definitely have dry ear wax, and i have always used q-tips to remove ear wax, and always thought it was silly that people got all worked up that q-tips for ear wax removal was 'dangerous' to the ear. But years ago (molecular biologist, ahead of the curve on some of these discoveries) when I learned about the different types I finally got it, it really is dangerous if you have wet ear wax.
- johnchristopher 11y agoWhat is dangerous in wet ear wax ?
- jdimov10 11y agoRTFM
- jschwartzi 11y agoYou can get it stuck in your ears. When I was a kid I would have to have my ears vacuumed clean because I would routinely impact wax in them and lose hearing. It's as uncomfortable as it sounds.
- greggman 11y agoIt's dangerous in general. A friend of my dad was cleaning his ears, his wife opened the bathroom door which bumped his arm which pushed the q-tip in and broke his ear. I use q-tips to clean my ears nearly every day but I take precautions to not stand near any doors and if someone else is in the room I make sure my arm using the q-tip is pointing in a direction unlikely to get bumped. http://blogs.webmd.com/all-ears/2006/11/q-tips-weapons-of-ear-destruction.html http://blogs.webmd.com/all-ears/2006/11/q-tips-weapons-of-ea...
- emmanueloga_ 11y agoI also have itchiness. It only triggers occasionally, always in the left ear, but when it does it's sometimes so annoying it stops me from sleeping well. Could you solve your itchiness? How?
- escape_goat 11y agoI never entirely did. Initially it was episodic on either or both sides, coincidental with heavy discoloured buildup; I eventually came to believe that it may have been due aspergillum exposure. These days it's generally less prevalent, but I use a curette when I have to, purely to relieve symptoms - nothing odd about the discharge. I've developed eczema elsewhere in the meantime, so perhaps its related. I know that there are steroidal eardrops, available for ocular eczema. Additionally some sort of syringe method might be safer/preferable, I would recommend trying that first to stay as far back from the scratch/itch cycle if possible... I can attest to its existence.