Stomach-churning footage shows a woman who was left deaf by a huge chunk of ear wax finally having it removed.
Audiologist and YouTube sensation Neel Raithatha, who is also known as the ‘Wax Whisperer’, shared the disturbing clip featuring a patient whose earwax was so backed up that it left her with a fungal infection.
The video shows Raithatha, who runs The Hear Clinic in Oadby, Leicestershire, scraping away at layers of wax until the ear canal is finally cleared.
The medic says the wax had built up so much that his unnamed patient was unable to wear her hearing aid and the infection caused the device to ‘whistle and squeal’.
Stomach-churning footage shows a woman who was left deaf by a huge chunk of ear wax finally having it removed
UK audiologist Neel Raithatha, who is also known as the ‘Wax Whisperer’, said the excessive wax had also left the unnamed patient with a fungal infection
Video shows that he doesn’t have to go very far before he hits his first layer of earwax, which he scrapes a way using a tool with a rounded edge
The procedure was performed via an endoscope by which Raithatha examines inside the patient’s inner ear cavity.
Video shows that he doesn’t have to go very far before he hits the first layer of earwax, which he scrapes a way using a tool with a rounded edge.
He then uses a tool with a hook to lift the earwax out and repeats the process a few times until it’s all gone.
Raithatha said that because of so many years of buildup – it’s unclear how many, however – the patient could not have done removed the wax herself.
‘It would be impossible to self-remove. The client in this case wore a hearing aid which can cause earwax build as it can prevent the natural migration of earwax out of the ear canal,’ he said.
‘It left them completely deafened and the client was also unable to wear her hearing aid as the earwax buildup and infection was causes it to whistle and squeal.
‘The patient had a fungal infection, otomycosis, which developed on the dead earwax and skin and also otitis externa of the ear canal and eardrum.’
Otomycosis is fungal infection that mostly affects people who live in warm or tropical climates
It also often affects people who swim frequently, have diabetes, or have other chronic medical and skin conditions, but Raithatha did not specify if his patient fell into any of these categories.
Otitis externa, also known as ‘swimmer’s ear’, is an inflammation or infection of the outer ear canal.
‘There was some offensive odor from the ear,’ Raithatha continued.
‘It took around 10 minutes because I had to be very delicate when peeling of the dead infected skin off the ear canal and eardrum. It usually takes half the time.’
He said the patient was advised to visit her doctor after the procedure to treat the fungal infection.
Raithatha has risen to fame over the last year after several videos of him removing wax from clients’ ears have gone viral.
The audiologist has more than 62,000 subscribers on YouTube where the sickening videos can be found.
The patient was unable to wear her hearing aid because the combination of the wax and infection caused the device to ‘whistle and squeal’
Raithatha said the process took around 10 minutes because he also had to remove dead infected skin off the ear canal
He said the patient was advised to visit her doctor after the procedure to treat the fungal infection
His videos have been viewed a combined total of more than 47 million times since he began to upload the clips in 2013.
Earwax, in small amounts, serves a natural cleanser, protecting your ear from water, infection, injury, and foreign bodies. Studies have also shown that it contains antibacterial and antifungal properties.
However, if the canal is plugged up with earwax, it can cause earaches, infections, and other problems.
If your ear does become impacted, it is not recommended that you use a cotton swab or a bobby pin to dig out the wax because it can become even more impacted. Either use water to irrigate the ear or seek professional medical treatment.