Some people do produce excessive wax, wet wax or wax that does not extrude easily. This can result in deafness, the ringing of ears (tinnitus), pain, itchiness and dizziness. In the hearing aid population, wax can be a problem, clogging the ear mould and even corroding the aid due to excess acidity.

The ear mould also interferes with the normal extrusion of the wax, further compounding the problem. Earbuds will push the wax deeper into the ear canal and can cause chronic infections and inflammation of the canal (and even eardrum perforations).

Why Q-Tips are bad: