Doctor Brad offers private ear wax removal for the people of Bristol, Bath and surrounding areas.
Don't suffer with a blocked ear. Allow Dr Brad to remove your ear wax in a timely fashion with the minimum of fuss.
Listen to what Dr Brad has to say in his video about ear wax removal, below.
- Why do people get more ear wax than others?
Well, it's usually just a case of bad luck. It is a problem that affects both young and older people. There's nothing you can practically do to “clean your ears” that is very effective. Most ears should be “self cleaning” as the wax (AKA “cerumen“) automatically works its way out with the natural outward migration of the cells that line the ear canal. Never try to clean inside your own ear canal because the consequences of a perforated ear drum can be very serious.
Symptoms of ear wax blocking your ear include:
- A reduction in hearing
- A sensation of fullness
- A sensation of crackling, bubbling or “being underwater”
- Ear discomfort
Doctor Brad understands how annoying and frustrating these symptoms can be and he sympathises with you.
Watch Dr Brad performing ear wax microsuction in the video below.
Can You Get NHS Ear Wax Removal Treatment
Unfortunately, due to the cuts in NHS funding since the infamous Credit Crunch, GP practices are no longer financially rewarded for performing ear wax removal treatments. Therefore, a great many GP practices are now telling patients to try to somehow treat themselves or are offering a very limited number of treatment slots for ear wax treatment in their practices so you might have a looooong wait. Even then, they usually only offer syringing treatments which are very much the poor relation of the more technical but superior “microsuction” treatment option because the hard-pressed nursing staff who they delegate the job to lack the training and insurance to perform microsuction.
Private Ear Wax Microsuction Bristol
Dr Brad is a fully qualified, practising GP who removes ear wax with his state of the art ear wax microsuction equipment. Dr Brad uses special magnification eye wear to enable him to directly visualise your ear wax as he uses his precision ear was removal instruments to clear your ears. In other words, he can see exactly what he is doing in your ear canal as he cleans it out.
Dr Brad trained in ear microsuction under top Ear Nose and Throat surgeons at Whipps Cross Hospital, London, during his ENT (otorhinolaryngology) rotations as a junior doctor and often independently performed microsuction in A+E on emergency ENT cases. These days he performs ear microsuction on more routine cases, like yours.
Dr Brad carries a digital ear microscope that he can use to show you, on his laptop, the state of your ears before and after treatment. In the interests of full disclosure, the quality of the digital view varies from person to person due to differences in anatomy but it's better than no chance of getting look inside your own ear canal at all!
Looking For Private Ear Wax Syringing in Bristol?
You could get your ears syringed privately in Bristol but don't opt for those old fashioned ear syringing methods. Ear syringing involves pumping pulses of warm water into your ear under pressure. The risks of perforation are higher with syringing than with microsuction. Syringing is generally noted to be more uncomfortable to undergo too.
How Not To Treat Ear Wax!
Despite your desire for quick and simple ear wax relief at home, do NOT succumb to the urge to poke a cotton bud in your ear canal. Cotton buds happen to be roughly the same diameter as your ear canal so even though they look waxy when you withdraw them , you'll simply push 99% of the wax deeper into the ear canal and compact it up against the ear drum. This is likely to make hearing worse, cause more discomfort and also comes with the risk of perforating the ear drum or traumatising the lining of your ear canal causing bleeding and perhaps an unpleasant otitis externa ear infection.
Do not try to get around this by poking even narrower household instruments into your ear canal. The risk of ear drum perforation will be even higher!
Do not use an “ear candle”. This is an old-fashioned method for treating ear wax that is both ineffective and unsafe. It is dangerous in that you can cause yourself a nasty burn.
Contraindications to Microsuction
Dr Brad can't perform microsuction on you if you have an active ear infection ie otitis externa, which is typically characterised by sever ear pain and discharge. Your GP needs to prescribe you ear drops for that. However, once the infection has settled you can often be left with some residual, waxy debris that would benefit from being cleared by microsuction to improve your hearing and reduce the risks of a repeat infection. You simply don't get this as a matter of routine in NHS General Practice.
Dr Brad will also not perform ear microsuction if you have ever had mastoid surgery or ear drum surgery. In that scenario, if you need microsuction you should visit an ENT surgical consultant .
Preparing for Microsuction
The best way to prepare for microsuction is to apply olive oil drops (yes, the same product you find in any supermarket condiments aisle; any common variety will do), 2-3 drops in the affected ear three times a day for 1-2 weeks before treatment. The olive oil does not irritate the ear canal and works to steadily soften the wax so that it is able to be removed. Hard wax can often be difficult if not impossible to remove so you can see why it's so important to soften it up properly beforehand. However, do not try putting olive oil drops in your ear before a GP or nurse practitioner has confirmed that a build up of ear wax is the cause of your blocked ear otherwise you could have an undiagnosed ear drum perforation and end up pouring olive oil drops through the perforation into your middle ear cavity which would be bad.
Despite this clear advice, some patients still attend without having performed the crucial wax softening process properly. Unfortunately, patients still have to be charged if full clearance is impossible wax due to not being fully softened.
Cost of Ear Wax Removal Treatment?
The price of ear microsuction with Dr Brad is a mere:
- £100 flat rate for a treatment to one or two ears (inclusive of standard £60 consultation fee).£75 flat rate for a second treatment to one or two ears if required within 1 month of a 1st treatment (inclusive of standard £60 consultation fee).
- Mobile Visits: £300 flat rate for a first visit; £250 flat rate for a 2nd follow-up visit within 3 weeks if required.
Now do yourself a favour and call now to book for your convenient and safe ear wax removal treatment with Dr Brad today!