BS: Occasional deafness - earwax!

Subject: RE: BS: Occasional deafness - earwax!
From: dianavan
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 04:19 AM

Once I had a fever so high it melted the wax in my ears. I woke up in the morning and there was earwax on my pillow and across my cheek and down my neck. I didn't even know I had a problem with wax but it was sure good to hear again. Sometimes fevers are a good thing.

Subject: RE: BS: Occasional deafness - earwax!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 12:00 PM

Yup. Fevers are one way the body fights an invader.

Subject: RE: BS: Occasional deafness - earwax!
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 03:59 PM

The small copped "ear cleaner thingys," at least the ones I've seen, are actually not intended for use on or in the ears. The "official" nomenclature is "comedo extractor," and the intended use is to remove small skin blemishes (blackheads &/or whiteheads in vernacular). The smooth backside is supposedly pressed down, with the small hole over the affected pore, and (they say, in theory) will "gently extrude" the plug from the pore.

I've seen physicians whip one out for the intended use, seldom with much success. The "modern variant" has a single wire loop, fairly heavy wire, in place of the formed cup with hole, and is a handy tool for smoothing your clay scultures.

Both usages (pimples and earwax) are strongly denigrated for personal use on one's self, by most practicioners.

But who listens to them ?????

Once upon a time, many "tweezers" came with one on the "head" end although I haven't seen one of this kind for sale for about 60 years. The typical now is a two-headed bar, with slightly different sized "cups" on each end. If you can find one with just the right edge to it, they can make a fairly efficient utility tool for some manicure work, along with the pimple duty and the ear shovel bit. Occasionally one might help at getting small splinters out of the skin. Many old time barbers kept one for "opening up" impacted hair follicles where the hair grew just under the skin - a much more common problem when everyone in town used the same razor.

John