Earwax
Earwax (also known as "cerumen" or "spuds") is a sticky substance like wax produced by the ears. Most of the time it is yellow, orange, brown, black or gold. The earwax sticks to dust and other foreign matter that gets in the ears and keeps the ears clean. It also protects the skin of ear
| Earwax | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Cerumen |
 | |
| Wet-type human earwax | |
| Pronunciation |
|
| Prognosis | prevalence |
Earwax Media
Earwax / Cerumen
Dry w:earwax, typical of Asian and Native Americans. Cropped to remove image of swab.
World map of the distribution of the A allele of the single nucleotide polymorphism rs17822931 in the ABCC11 gene associated with dry-type earwax. The proportion of A alleles (dry-type earwax) in each population is represented by the white area in each circle.
An ear-cleaner, attending to a man's ear. Gouache painting, India, 1825.
[verification needed] and protects the ear from insects, water, fungi and bacteria (foreign materials).
Some people try to remove earwax, which may damage the eardrum. The movement of jaws helps to clean the earwax naturally. This makes the ear "self cleaning".