Ear Wax Removal in Bang Tao
Four days of swimming at Bang Tao Beach and one ear has gone muffled, as if there is a plug in it. Sound is dull, your own voice is loud inside your head, and cotton buds have made it worse. Water swells wax that was sitting harmlessly for years, and it blocks the canal completely. Ear wax removal in Bang Tao clears it in about fifteen minutes.
Why swimming causes it
Wax is normal and the ear clears it by itself. Water changes that. Wax absorbs it, swells, and turns from something that migrates out into a plug that fills the canal. Days in the sea or the pool are the classic trigger, and it usually shows up in one ear rather than both.
Cotton buds then make it worse. They push most of the wax deeper while removing a little from the entrance, so the ear feels briefly better and is more blocked than before.
How it is removed safely
The doctor looks in first with an otoscope to see what is actually there and to check the eardrum is intact. That check matters, because irrigating an ear with a perforated eardrum can cause real damage.
Removal is by gentle irrigation with warm water, or by microsuction, or with a small instrument under direct vision — whichever suits the wax and the canal. Hard, dry wax may need softening drops for a day or two first. It is not painful, though the rush of water feels strange, and hearing usually returns immediately.
What not to do yourself
The homemade approaches cause most of the injuries we see:
- Cotton buds — push wax deeper and scratch the canal
- Ear candles — no benefit, and they burn people
- Hair grips, keys or matchsticks — perforated eardrums
- Hydrogen peroxide poured in — irritates the canal lining
- Getting a friend to syringe it with a bottle of water
If the ear is painful rather than blocked, do not attempt to clear it at all. Pain suggests infection rather than wax — see ear infection.
Blocked ears, diving and flying
A wax plug matters more here than at home because of what people do on holiday. Diving with a blocked ear means you cannot equalise on that side, which risks barotrauma and a perforated eardrum. Most dive schools will not let you in the water with a blocked canal, and getting it cleared is often the reason people arrive holding a medical certificate form.
Flying is less risky but distinctly uncomfortable, and a blocked ear that will not equalise on descent can hurt for hours afterwards. If you dive or fly within days, clear it beforehand.
When it is not wax
Sudden hearing loss without wax is a warning sign, not an inconvenience. If the doctor looks in and the canal is clear, the muffling may be fluid behind the drum, an infection, or, rarely, sudden sensorineural hearing loss — which needs specialist treatment within days to have the best chance of recovery.
Come in the same day rather than waiting it out if hearing drops suddenly in one ear, especially with dizziness or ringing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does ear wax removal cost?
It is priced as a short consultation with a small procedure charge, and it is one of the cheaper things we do. If both ears need doing, that is quoted up front.
Does it hurt?
No. Irrigation feels odd and slightly cold, and microsuction is noisy, but neither is painful. Tell the doctor immediately if anything stings, as that can mean an inflamed canal.
Can I dive straight afterwards?
Usually yes, once the doctor has confirmed the eardrum is intact and the canal is not inflamed. If the canal was irritated during removal, you may be asked to wait a day.
How long does it take?
About fifteen minutes for a straightforward plug. Hard, impacted wax may need drops for a day or two before a second short visit.
Can this be done at my hotel?
Yes for simple cases on a doctor hotel visit, but the clinic has better light and suction, so stubborn wax is more comfortably dealt with there.
Come in, or we come to you
Take Care Medical Clinic Bang Tao is open open 24 hours, 7 days a week on Bandon Road in Cherng Talay, a few minutes from Bang Tao Beach and Laguna Phuket. Walk in without an appointment, call +66 81 718 9080, or message us on WhatsApp. If you would rather not move, ask for a doctor hotel visit and we will come to your room.