Many people are familiar with irrigation (also known as ear syringing), but have never experienced microsuction (also known as ear wax suction) and naturally want to know more about this procedure. Here are some frequently asked questions about microsuction:
At the Microsuction Earwax Removal Network, we currently have 8 clinics around London and Hertfordshire, with plans to open more clinics in London, Surrey, Essex, Kent and Berkshire later this year.
Our ear wax removal clinic locations are:
If you take the NHS route, you will need a medical referral from your GP to have microsuction performed in a hospital Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) clinic. As this costs the practice a lot of money, they may be reluctant to refer you on your first visit, and many GP practices have a protocol whereby they will recommend olive oil drops for 2 weeks, and if that doesn't work change it to sodium bicarbonate drops for a further two weeks, and if that doesn't work, change it to hydrogen peroxide or urea peroxide to two weeks before referring to the next stage. Depending on where you are, waiting times for microsuction on the NHS may range from 6 weeks to 6 months. Apart from these stronger ear drops possibly making the ear sore, many people can't wait 12 weeks or more to be able to hear again.
The alternative is to self-refer yourself to one of our clinics. You can book an appointment online here, We can often see you on the same day.
Syringing uses a syringe to squirt water into the ear, while irrigation uses an electric irrigation pump. A small handheld magnifier with a built in light called an otoscope is used to locate the ear wax blockage. The idea is that by squirting water past the wax blockage the water pressure will build up behind the wax and push it out. As the ear is full of water during the flushing process, it is not possible for the nurse to accurately see what is happening throughout the whole procedure. It is usually necessary to loosen the wax by applying olive oil for around two weeks prior to an irrigation procedure to make sure that the wax comes out easily. In a way, the method is slightly counter-intuitive as you want to get the wax out, but they push high pressure water in in the hope of getting the wax out. No wonder some people call the irrigation method "spray and pray". The danger is that wax can get pushed further into the ear canal.
Also, if there is a complete blockage, it is not possible to examine the ear drum for a potential perforation or middle ear infection before performing an irrigation procedure. Irrigation should never be performed when the ear drum has been previously perforated, when the ear drum is currently perforated, or if there is a current or recent middle ear infection. Doing so could re-perforate a previously perforated ear drum, or perforated an ear drum that is weakened from a middle ear infection. Then water and ear wax can get flushed past the perforated ear drum into the middle ear, causing pain, dizziness and ear infection.
When an irrigation procedure goes well, it can provide instant relief, however when it goes wrong, some of the potential side effects are:
When weighing up the benefits versus the risks, many GP surgeries have stopped performing ear irrigation procedures altogether.
Microsuction, on the other hand, uses very gentle medical suction accurately applied to the ear wax. Our microsuction practitioners are highly trained and use portable ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) loupes, so that they can see exactly what is happening throughout your procedure and remove the ear wax with pinpoint accuracy. Because microsuction gently draws wax from the ear using low pressure medical suction, it cannot push wax further in, and the success rate is therefore far greater that that of irrigation. Microsuction is also considerably safer than irrigation. It is no wonder that microsuction is considered to be the gold standard when it comes to ear wax removal.
In nearly all cases, ear wax microsuction does not hurt at all, as the medical suction unit is designed to use a very gentle level of suction. It can be a little noisy, but not a lot more than the noise of a hand dryer or vacuum cleaner. While some websites say that softening with ear drops is not necessary, we believe that using Earol sterile olive oil spray for at least two to three days prior to your procedure will make it more comfortable and maximise the chances of 100% ear wax removal, especially for people who have a history of very hard or impacted ear wax. People who have had a confirmed diagnoses of ear drum perforation should avoid using Earol or other ear drops.
A recent outer ear infection (otitis externa), or sometimes the use of ear drops containing hydrogen peroxide, urea peroxide or sodium bicarbonate can make the skin of the ear canal more sensitive, and as a consequence a microsuction procedure may be a little uncomfortable in these limited cases.
Most clients, however, find that an ear wax suction procedure is completely painless, and are delighted to be able to hear properly again.
Despite being very gentle, microsuction is a more efficient method of ear wax removal compared to irrigation (ear syringing). Our success rate is one of the highest in the industry, and we will remove 100% of the ear wax in nearly all cases. In around 1 in 500 procedures, we may be able to remove only 90-95% of the blockage, which is still enough to either fully or mostly restore your hearing. There may be a small amount (5% to 10%) of the original blockage remaining as the last part is tucked around a corner, or stuck fast at the end, and cannot be safely removed. In this case we will put your safety first and recommend that you use Earol for another two or three days to loosen the last piece, and it usually comes out on its own. In rarer cases, something like 1 in 2000 procedures, a more significant amount may remain - perhaps 20 to 25% of the original blockage. This is usually because the wax was so impacted that the Earol was unable to penetrate all the way through the blockage, or it was used for an insufficient length of time. If this is the case, it will be necessary to re-apply Earol spray for several days and book another appointment.
The likelihood is that we will be able to remove all of your ear wax.
We try to keep our prices competitive, and they are amongst the best value in the industry. For example, many of our competitors charge the same whether you need wax removed from one or two ears; in contrast we give a discount if you need wax removed from only one ear. We also don't charge a booking fee if you use our self-service online booking system. Our appointments are longer than many of our competitors, so we have an unparalleled 99.8% success rate at the first appointment
In trying to keep our prices low, we have to take into account the varying amounts of rental we pay in different locations, and any overtime we pay our professional staff for unsociable hours. More recently, due to new Covid-19 guidelines we have added 75% more time to our one-ear appointments and 50% more time to our two-ear appointments to allow time for changing PPE and sanitising surfaces between appointments. While it might be possible to cut down this time, we feel that when such an important process is rushed, mistakes can be made. We have therefore decided it is much safer to work at a steady pace.
In general, prices range from £80 for one ear during normal hours, to £125 for both ears outside of normal hours. You can see all of our prices on our microsuction prices page.
Microsuction is considered to be the safest method of ear wax removal. Most procedures pass completely without incident, which is partly down to the inherent efficiency and safety of the method, and partly down to the skill of our practitioners.
Like any medical procedure, despite our best efforts and high level of training, sometimes things happen that we would rather not happen. These tend to be minor in nature, and few and far between. For instance:
All of our practitioners have had training in the use of instruments to remove ear wax. Sometimes they will use a combination of instruments and suction, and will choose the method or combination of methods that will result in the most comfortable and efficient removal procedure.
However, if you find loud noise, such as a vacuum cleaner or hand dryer, uncomfortable it may be preferable for you to have dry instrument removal instead of microsuction.
While we can nearly always remove all of your ear wax, microsuction can only restore your hearing to whatever level it was at before you got an ear wax blockage. If you still struggle with your hearing after all the wax is removed, it may be caused by:
Recent statistical research has shown that 9 out of 10 people with tinnitus also have a hearing loss. Most theories of tinnitus believe that tinnitus is caused by hearing loss. For people with tinnitus and a long standing hearing problem, typically 70% will find that hearing correction will be sufficient to make their tinnitus either imperceptible, or so low as to no longer be bothersome.
Ear wax can cause a temporary hearing loss in its own right, or temporarily exacerbate a pre-existing hearing loss. If the tinnitus began after the ear wax blockage, then there is a very good chance that removing the ear wax blockage will make the tinnitus go away or at least be so low as to no longer be bothersome. The likelihood of success is greater the less time the ear is left blocked without treatment, as the brain is more likely to start making changes to compensate for the hearing loss the longer the ear remains blocked.
Some people feel that their ears are blocked, but in fact don't have any ear wax blockage at all and it turns out they have a hearing loss that just crept up on them. In these cases, we have a tinnitus practitioner who can perform a hearing test and fit the latest combination tinnitus treatment devices.
Microsuction is available for free on the NHS, but not everyone qualifies. Just like all NHS treatments, your GP will weigh up the cost versus the benefit, and may recommend using olive oil, then sodium bicarbonate, then urea peroxide ear drops for up to 6 weeks before agreeing to refer you to the local hospital for microsuction. Due to the lack of trained, qualified practitioners, many hospitals have waiting lists ranging from six weeks to six months. Having to wait 12 weeks or more being unable to hear is frustrating to say the least, and many people choose to go private and self-refer to a private microsuction ear wax removal clinic, such as one of ours.
We have two age ranges for children:
These appointments are more expensive that an adult appointment, because it is more challenging for our practitioners, both in terms of the narrowness of childrens' ear canals and/or in their behaviour.
As a parent or guardian, you will need to be present during the appointment, as you will be required to consent to the procedure on behalf of your child. Remember that while microsuction is considered to be the safest method of ear wax removal, like any medical procedure it is not entirely risk free. You will need to weigh up the risk versus the benefit. For instance, is the ear blockage causing your child to fall behind in language or educational development?
In order for the procedure to be carried out safely, your child will need to sit still, either on their own or on your lap. They will need to keep calm and keep their arms and legs still, so as to avoid any risk of self-injury. We always put your child's safety and safeguarding first, so if they cannot stay still, or become agitated or distressed, we will stop the procedure, allow time for our practitioner or yourself to calmly talk to your child, and if your child can calm down, and at our practitioner's discretion, make a second attempt at completing the procedure.