Blackheads are a common occurrence on the nose, face, or chin. Most of us had had annoying times when those blackheads appeared. But, to your surprise, you can also notice a blackhead in ear. Often it so happens that due to prolonged usage of earphones, dirt accumulates in ears. So, oil, dead cells of the skin, and dirt can lead to blackhead formation.
Blackheads are small marks that clog your pores, and they are extremely painful at times. However, the dark color of the blackhead isn’t necessarily dirt. Oxidization with air brings that black color.
Table of Contents
What is blackhead in ear?
One thing that can give you respite about your tension relating to blackhead in ear is non-inflammatory. Often, oil and dirt get trapped in the pores of ears. That, when oxidized with air, produce this acne lesions. There are numerous little follicles of hair inside your ear canal, along with glands producing earwax and oil. Hence it makes the ear vulnerable to blackhead formation. When these glands start producing excess oil, then you face the problem of blackhead in ear.
Blackhead in ear symptom
As the blackhead in ear is a very frequent occurrence, the symptoms are not quite vivid. It might just appear on your skin cell. You might feel some irritation. Otherwise, blackhead in ear symptom doesn’t differ much from that of pimples.
What causes blackhead in ear?
If you are wondering the reasons for blackhead formation inside your ear, there are abundant reasons to keep you busy finding the remedy. But, if you follow this article thoroughly, you will get to know the problem and its solution comprehensively. Here, we have listed some of the reasons for the formation of blackhead in ear.
Earwax and headphones
This generation spends almost a quarter of their days on headphones. Don’t like the chit-chat of the neighbors? Earphones are on. Don’t want to hear the clamor on the bus? Earphones are on!
However, due to this excessive use of earphones, the opening of the ear canal remains blocked. This leads to inadequate air passing through the canal, resulting in blackheads.
So, make sure to clean your ear at least once a week so that you can prevent blackhead in ear.
Bacteria on pillowcase
You could very well blame your pillowcase for your struggle with blackhead in ear. We normally tend to avoid maintaining basic hygiene. As a result, very trivial things lead to severe problems.
Your suffering from a giant blackhead in ear can be due to the unwashed pillow cover at your bed. If it doesn’t get proper exposure to sunlight, and if you do not wash it regularly, it can lead to bacteria formation in your ear. In turn, these impurities will penetrate your skin and cause painful blackhead in ear canal.
So, it would be best if you washed your pillow cover once a week. This will prevent impurities from piling up in your pillow, thereby preventing blackhead in ear.
Cell Phone bacteria
This fact will take you aback for sure! But, the truth is harsh. Yes, cell phones might cause blackheads in ear. Most of the time, cell phones get the highest exposure to dirt without us even recognizing that. But, we push our phones hard into our ears while talking. That could extend for hours.
You would be surprised to know that a toilet seat carries fewer germs than your cell phone. So, even if it seems all shiny and glittery on the surface, it can be the hotbed of germs.
Make sure to sanitize it regularly. It would be best to buy a box of wipes that will clean your cell phone and eliminate all the grease, grime, and grit accumulated on its surface.
Touching the ears
From childhood, we have seen very consistent TV advertisements of Dettol where the black germs are seen moving whimsically on our palms beneath a magnifying glass.
So, imagine touching your ears with those germs in your hands. The germs can very well get transferred to your ears, leading to a giant blackhead in ear.
Other causes of blackheads are listed below-
- hormonal imbalances
- coming into contact with impure water, as is the case with many swimmers
- high stress
- Ear piercings can also lead to an infected blackhead in the ear.
- Wearing helmets for prolonged periods
- allergic reactions due to some beauty products which didn’t suit the specific skin type
How to remove blackheads from ear?
There are many ways to treat an infected blackhead in ear. So, if you have been thinking about how to remove blackheads from your ear, here is your solution. Firstly, we will recommend you home care facilities. But, you should also know that there is an ear blockhead removal tool available in the market, to which we will come shortly.
The removal process is quite simple everywhere. Blackheads can appear at any part of your body. But, you will have to keep in mind that the skin around your ear is way more sensitive. So, you will have to handle blackheads in the ear gently.
Also, it would be best if you were consistent in taking care of your ear. Most of the time, as ears are not visible to us. Hence, we often neglect its care.
These are the few steps that you can follow to know how to remove blackheads from ear.
Washing the ears regularly
The way brushing your teeth is something you do mandatorily every morning; similarly, take proper care of your ear regularly. Washing your ears regularly is one step further in ensuring that your ears are dirt and excess-oil-free.
However, it would help if you washed your ear gently. If by any chance, excess water goes inside your ear, that might cause severe pain. So, use a soft soaked cloth to wash the insides of your ear.
You can use some oil-free products like Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, and Olay Clean Foaming Face Cleanser for Sensitive skin.
Don’t over-scrub the ears that might further damage your ear cells, leading to acne and irritation.
Exfoliation
Exfoliation is a very important step that you should include in your daily healthcare. It helps in dead skin removal that contributes to making the skin tone dull and clogging of pores. The same applies to your ears. So, try exfoliating the skin around the ears once every week.
You might use the below-listed products for exfoliation:
- Philosophy the micro delivery face wash
- Clarins one-step gentle Exfoliating Cleanser
- Sephora Exfoliating Cleansing Cream
Acne Medication
You can try using some OTC (over-the-counter) medicines for acne growth, which might remove the blackhead in your ear. Salicylic acid helps in unclogging the pores. It also strips away the dead cells.
Most acne products contain salicylic acid. You can use cleansers that have salicylic acid instead of using any ordinary cleanser in the shower.
However, if you continue using the ordinary cleanser, then you can apply astringent after that. Remember to use astringent once daily. If the product suits your skin, then you can use it twice. You can use cotton balls to apply it to the ear.
Extraction
Stubborn blackheads don’t go away easily. It would be best if you did not use bobby pins or nails on your fingers. This often unintentionally harms the eardrum, which can lead to permanent hearing loss. In that case, an answer to how to remove blackheads from ear might involve extraction procedures.
The extraction tool is the most scientific ear blackhead removal tool that won’t leave any scars. It would be best if you followed the following steps to use the extraction tool most carefully.
Step 1
Gently press a lukewarm soft cloth to soften the pore which is plugged.
Step 2
Sterilize the extractor
Step 3
Press the tool’s metal loop on the edge of your blackhead. Gently sweep the tool to extract the blackhead.
Step 4
It would help if you did not press the tool too hard on the blackhead. Don’t place it directly on it. This might lead to skin damage.
Step 5
Once you have completed everything, then wash the ears.
Step 6
Sterilize your extraction tool
In this way, you can successfully remove the blackheads using the ear blockhead removal tool.
Seeing the dermatologist
Often things get serious without you even understanding that. If your blackhead in the ear causes some serious trouble, you should not delay consulting a dermatologist.
In fact, in many cases, these extraction techniques don’t work. Also, if you have a repetition of blackhead occurrences or spread across a wide area, you should consult a dermatologist.
Dermatologists can help you in different manners. They use professional tools of extraction for removing your ear blackheads thoroughly and smoothly. Instead of performing the extractions by yourself, it is safer to contact a dermatologist.
Also, depending on how many times blackheads formation is taking place, the doctor can suggest medication. You might have to use sunscreen to go out in the sun because acne medicines often make your skin sensitive to sun rays.
Prevention
Since childhood, we have learned a very popular phrase which is “prevention is better than cure.” So, if you could maintain a clean ear and give the necessary attention to keep your ear healthy, then you would not have to suffer from blackheads. You can use the below-written tips to prevent blackheads.
- Properly wash your ears daily. Try using salicylic acid and a warm cloth to keep proper ear hygiene.
- If your hair length is long and you can’t wash it daily, you should try to use any dry shampoo. The shampoo will not allow the oil to sip into your ears.
- You can tie your unwashed hair in a ponytail. In this way, excess oil won’t get into your ears.
- You should not touch your ears even if they irritate because, in that way, a breakout of blackheads might break out.
- Keep everything clean like cell phones, earbuds, pillow covers, fingers, etc. which have direct contact with your ear
- Don’t use lotions randomly. Only the sunscreens that are clinically approved and medically formulated should be included in your list.
Tips to get rid of blackhead in ear
We have discussed many preventive measures to stop occurrences of blackheads. But, if you want some extra tips, then they are just at your fingers step:
- If you don’t want an infected blackhead in ear, then don’t squeeze or pick the blackheads; if you do that, inflammation can happen along with scarring, infection, and bleeding.
- You should not use acne medications hysterically. Don’t get anxious over the blackhead formations. If you use more medicines than required, it can lead to over-drying of your skin which culminates in oil overproduction leading to acne.
- Doctors recommend the usage of non-comedogenic products while using sunscreen. You should avoid these products if you have a blackhead situation in your ear.
Major Takeaways
- Blackheads might irritate you, but they are not your permanent roommates. Pay a little attention, and they will disappear on their own.
- Systematically clean the ears with the application of salicylic acid. In this way, you will maintain the physical health of your ear.
- Prepare a sanitation strategy for the stuff that has direct contact with your ears. Be mindful whenever your ear makes any contact with the external surface.
- Make sure to enlist popping your blackheads in your “Never Have I Ever” list.
- Don’t hesitate to contact your dermatologist if you have grown some serious problems in your ears.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, a blackhead in ear is not a very rare problem. If you can mindfully maintain yourself, you can easily get rid of painful blackhead in ear canal.