Excessive earwax is usually caused by a combination of genetics, anatomy, habits, and age rather than any single factor. Your ear canals naturally produce wax through glands in the outer third of the canal, and in most people this process is invisible. But when production ramps up, the self-cleaning mechanism fails, or something blocks the wax from migrating out, buildup and impaction follow.
How Earwax Production Works
Earwax, or cerumen, is produced by two types of glands in the outer portion of the ear canal: apocrine glands (similar to sweat glands) and sebaceous glands (which produce oily secretions). These glands secrete a mixture of fats, proteins, and dead skin cells that traps dust, bacteria, and debris before it can reach the eardrum. Under normal conditions, the wax slowly migrates outward as your jaw moves during chewing and talking, eventually flaking away at the canal opening.
Problems start when production outpaces this natural conveyor belt, or when something disrupts it.
Genetics and Earwax Type
A single gene called ABCC11 determines whether your earwax is wet or dry. The difference comes down to one letter in your DNA: people with a G at a specific position produce wet, sticky, honey-colored wax, while those with an A on both copies of the gene produce dry, grey, flaky wax. The vast majority of people of European or African descent have wet earwax, while most East Asian people have the dry type. Among Pacific Islanders, South and Central Asian populations, and Indigenous peoples of North America, 30 to 50% have dry earwax.
Wet earwax contains roughly 50% lipid (fat) and 20% protein, while dry earwax is about 18% lipid and 43% protein. The sticky, fat-rich nature of wet cerumen makes it more prone to accumulating in the canal rather than migrating out cleanly. If you’ve always seemed to produce more wax than other people, your genetic wax type is likely a major reason.
Cotton Swabs and In-Ear Devices
The most common preventable cause of wax buildup is putting things in your ears. Cotton swabs don’t scoop wax out. They push it deeper toward the eardrum, compacting it into a plug that the ear’s self-cleaning mechanism can’t dislodge. Once wax is pressed against the eardrum, it tends to stay there and harden over time.
Hearing aids and earbuds cause a similar problem through two mechanisms: they physically block wax from migrating outward, and they stimulate the glands to produce more cerumen. This is such a widespread issue that hearing aid manufacturers report 60 to 70% of devices sent in for repair are damaged by earwax buildup. If you wear hearing aids, earbuds, or earplugs regularly, you’re significantly more likely to develop impaction.
Age-Related Changes
As you get older, the cerumen glands gradually atrophy. Counterintuitively, this doesn’t reduce the problem. The glands produce drier, harder wax that doesn’t flow as easily toward the canal opening. At the same time, the ear canal’s skin becomes thinner and less efficient at moving debris outward. Coarse hair growth in the ear canal, which increases with age (particularly in men), can also trap wax before it reaches the opening. The result is that older adults are far more likely to develop impacted wax even without doing anything to cause it.
Ear Canal Shape and Bony Growths
Some people simply have narrower or more curved ear canals, which makes it harder for wax to travel out on its own. Certain conditions narrow the canal further. Exostoses, sometimes called surfer’s ear, are bony overgrowths that develop inside the ear canal after repeated exposure to cold water and wind. These growths can trap skin debris and wax behind them, requiring routine professional cleaning to prevent infections and blockages.
Any structural narrowing of the canal, whether from genetics, injury, or growths, reduces the space available for wax to pass and increases the odds of impaction.
Skin Conditions and Medical Factors
Several medical conditions can increase earwax production or change its consistency. Psoriasis affecting the ear canal causes an increase in waxy material. Eczema and other inflammatory skin conditions can have similar effects by disrupting the normal skin turnover process in the canal.
A rare condition called keratosis obturans occurs when dead skin cells fail to migrate normally from the eardrum and inner canal wall. Instead, they accumulate into a pearly white mass that packs tightly in the canal, causing pain and hearing loss. It’s been linked to chronic sinus disease and a lung condition called bronchiectasis, though the reason for this association remains unclear.
Parkinson’s disease is another notable cause. In one study of 67 patients with Parkinson’s, 40 had one or both ear canals completely blocked with excessive greasy wax. The disease increases activity in the sebaceous glands throughout the body, and the ear canal glands are no exception. Elevated cholesterol levels may also play a role in wax overproduction by affecting the same fat-processing pathway the cerumen glands use.
Climate and Work Environment
Environmental factors influence cerumen production as well. Working in dusty or dirty environments gives the ear canal more debris to trap, which means more wax is needed and produced. Hot, humid climates can soften wax and cause it to accumulate differently than in dry environments, though the relationship between climate and impaction varies from person to person.
What Actually Works for Removal
If you’re dealing with excessive wax, it helps to know what’s safe and what isn’t. The American Academy of Otolaryngology’s clinical guidelines recommend three approaches: softening drops (including plain water or saline), irrigation, and manual removal by a trained clinician. Over-the-counter drops designed to soften wax can help mild buildup migrate out naturally over several days.
Ear candling, which involves placing a hollow lit candle in the ear canal, is explicitly recommended against. It’s ineffective for removing wax and carries real risks: burns to the face and ears, wax pushed deeper into the canal, and potential hearing damage.
Professional microsuction, where a clinician uses a small vacuum under direct visualization, provides immediate results with minimal discomfort. It’s particularly useful for people with recurring impaction, narrow canals, or a history of ear surgery. If your wax doesn’t clear with home softening methods, or if you have symptoms like muffled hearing, fullness, or ear pain, professional removal is the next step.
Preventing Recurrence
For most people, the single most effective prevention strategy is to stop putting anything in your ears. Let the canal clean itself. If you’re prone to buildup because of genetics, age, or hearing aid use, periodic use of softening drops (a few drops of mineral oil or saline once a week) can keep wax from hardening and accumulating. People who wear hearing aids should clean their devices daily and have their ears checked for wax buildup at regular intervals.
If you’ve had impaction before, you’re likely to get it again. Scheduling routine cleanings with a clinician every 6 to 12 months can prevent the slow accumulation that leads to sudden symptoms.