Large Balls of Earwax Falling Out of Your Ear? Here’s What It Could Be

Earwax is meant to come away from our ears—this is completely normal and usually happens in such small quantities when showering or washing that it is impossible to notice. Everyday activities like talking, chewing, and washing manoeuvre tiny amounts of wax that aren’t big enough to see.

However, there are scenarios in which you might either feel like a ball of wax is sitting just inside your ear or spot a whole clump of wax falling away, with the wax looking like a ball or an irregular lump.

In general, the bigger issue is if a significant amount of earwax isn’t falling away and is lodged or compacted inside your ear. Impacted earwax can become very painful, disrupt your hearing ability, and increase the likelihood of infection, which is why a professional microsuction treatment is highly advisable.

Today, the Regain Hearing specialists clarify when and why you might have larger balls of wax falling from your ears, when this may be a problem, and what the next steps should be.

Large Earwax Discharge: Quick Facts

• Earwax should come out of your ears naturally, and usually, in tiny amounts, you can’t see or feel. Bigger balls of wax could indicate an infection or irritation, be due to more hair growth in the ear canal, or be linked to sweating, heavy exercise, or periods of exacerbated stress.
• If you have large amounts of earwax and any soreness, interference with your hearing or pain, this makes a microsuction earwax removal treatment a top priority, while any excessive earwax residues mean your ear health will benefit from a thorough clean.
• Should you be concerned or alarmed by the sudden production of heavier amounts of earwax, discharges, or clogged ears, we recommend booking a hearing consultation at your nearest Regain Hearing clinic so we can examine your ears and provide tailored advice.

“Large chunks of earwax falling out might seem alarming, but it’s often just your body’s natural way of clearing excess buildup,” explains Lee Fletcher, Company Director and Principal Audiologist. “This can happen after using ear drops, a warm shower, or even naturally as the wax dries and dislodges. However, if you’re experiencing discomfort, hearing loss, or a persistent blockage, it’s worth getting checked to rule out impacted wax or an underlying ear condition.”

Indications That Excess Earwax Is a Sign of an Underlying Issue

Some people produce more earwax than others. Still, if you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms or changes in your hearing ability, this could mean you have a blockage inside your ear or impacted earwax.

Impacted earwax is itself a blockage, but the difference is that impacted wax means the blockage has hardened and dried and is highly unlikely to fall away by itself.

• Any sense of hearing loss, such as muffled, distorted or reduced hearing capacity
• Pain, soreness or irritation inside your ear
• Hearing a ringing, buzzing, humming or cracking sound (Read more: what can tinnitus sound like)
• Sensations that your ear is full, plugged or clogged

It’s perfectly possible that excess earwax isn’t actually related to your hearing health since we produce more wax when we’re suffering from conditions like the common cold, flu, or allergies – but if any of these issues sound familiar, it’s time to contact us.

Problems and Complications Linked With Earwax Blockages

Earwax blockages can cause or exacerbate almost every hearing concern. Over time, this can lead to infections, including swimmers’ ear, and contribute to increased pain, residues, coughing, dizziness, itchiness, and even fevers.

For most of our clients, earwax blockages occur for one of the following reasons:

• They are seeing greater volumes of earwax, and their bodies cannot remove it from their ears as fast as it is generated.
• Earwax hardens and solidifies before it can naturally leave the ear canal, meaning new wax production adds to the blockage.
• They’ve attempted to remove earwax using a cotton bud – something we advise against across the audiology community! Read more here: How to clean your ears without a cotton bud.

However, extra earwax and blockages aren’t necessarily because of any error and, in many cases, aren’t something you can control.

During a microsuction earwax removal treatment or hearing assessment, we’ll share ear health guidance to help you avoid any similar issues in the future.

Reasons Some of Us Produce More Earwax Than Others

We mentioned that sometimes individuals have more earwax naturally, and roughly 10% of children, 5% of adults and a higher 30% of older people generate more earwax than their ears can shift naturally and without targeted earwax removal (view source).

That can be down to one or all of the following:

• Greater sweat production due to sports or stress, which prompts our bodies to create more earwax.
• A higher density of hair growth inside your ears, that can correspond with higher-than-average earwax production.
• Chronic or repeated infections caused by viruses or bacteria. These increase inner ear pressure, stimulating more earwax production to protect the eardrum.
• Irregularities in the shape and anatomy of your inner ear. This can affect the quantities of earwax your ears generate.

In addition, overcleaning can actually increase earwax—even though it is almost certainly intended to do the opposite! Aggressive or frequent cleaning can make your ears produce more wax when there isn’t a healthy amount of wax to enable your hearing to function as it should.

How to Identify and Remove Impacted Earwax

There are remedies for earwax available at all pharmacies, but it’s worth being extra cautious since not every solution is suitable for everyone, particularly if you have any soreness, irritation, or discharge that could be a sign of an infection.

If you’d like to buy oils and over-the-counter drops intended to soften and harden earwax, please note that irritation is a possible side effect. It’s only worth trying an at-home remedy if you have done so before and know it won’t cause pain inside your ears.

The fastest and safest option is to book a microsuction treatment, where we use a tiny, microscopic tool to eliminate every trace of earwax with no fluids and without the device making contact with your ear.

This last point is essential for clients with sensitivities and infections because it ensures that earwax removal is gentle, pain-free, and won’t aggravate soreness while swiftly and carefully eliminating blockages, impacted wax, and residues.

Are you interested in earwax removal, need to check whether excess earwax is a problem, or worried about large balls of earwax? Contact your nearest Regain Hearing clinic or give us a call, and we’ll be more than happy to get your ears and hearing back to full health.