What Causes Slight Numbness In Right Ear?

Posted on Sat, 3 Oct 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 3 Oct 2015 Answered on

Sat, 24 Oct 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I am feeling slight numbness in my right ear. cleared using ear buds and added h2o2. still the numbness remained. planning to add olive oil. please suggest

Answered by Dr. Sumit Bhatti (-5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Avoid the oil. Get the ear examined.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thank you for your query.

1. The slight numbness is due to the ear bud or the H2O2. Hydrogen peroxide is irritant. What concentration did you use? It should be diluted before use. It is also no longer used for ear wax removal.

2. The external ear canal is curved in three dimensions and has very delicate skin, hence a dry ear bud can cause scratches or push thd ear wax further inside. Sometimes the peroxide causes more irritation after the abrasions.

3. It will be better if you get the ear examined with an otoscope and avoid using the olive oil. The olive oil should not harm the ear if it is otherwise normal but the oil cam cause ear infection and hence not recommended.

4. If the numbness is mild and you can hear properly, it should go away in some time.

I hope that I have answered your query. If you have any more questions I will be available to answer them.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj