> "Cerumen will thinly coat the ear canal to protect it. When you mess with that flow, you create little build-ups, kind of like road traffic." I think the iss

> "Cerumen will thinly coat the ear canal to protect it. When you mess with that flow, you create little build-ups, kind of like road traffic." I think the issue is that there is little evidence for Q-tips causing problems. With sincere respect, to me, this sounds like a "just-so story", a plausible-sounding explanation without actual basis. > "Again, this is done with a little spoon by a third-party or by using one carefully (they also come with cameras and flashlights). You remove the build-up with accuracy, you don't just jam cotton in there and randomly scrape at your ear canal." It sounds like the issue is not "little spoon" versus "cotton swab" but "accuracy" versus "jamming". Anyone jamming anything in their ear is gonna have problems, whether or not it's a little spoon or a cotton swab. If you can acknowledge that people can carefully use a little spoon on their own just by care and feel, then logically you would have to acknowledge that some people, perhaps those with wet earwax, can do the same with cotton swabs.