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Ear picks, also called ear scoops, or ear spoons, or earpicks, are a type of
curette A curette is a surgical instrument designed for scraping or debridement, debriding biological tissue or debris in a biopsy, :wikt:excision, excision, or cleaning procedure. In form, the curette is a small hand tool, often similar in shape to a ...
used to clean the ear canal of
earwax Earwax, also known by the medical term cerumen, is a waxy substance secreted in the ear canal of humans and other mammals. Earwax can be many colors, including brown, orange, red, yellowish, and gray. Earwax protects the skin of the human ear ...
(cerumen). They are preferred and are commonly used in
East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...
,
South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
and
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
because Asians tend to develop dry ear wax. In Asia, these are traditionally made from
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
or precious metals such as
silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
or
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
, but more commonly now, from
stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...
or
plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...
. European ear scoops produced up to the early 19th century were made from either
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
or precious metals such as silver. Use of ear picks to remove wax is discouraged by some health professionals for fear of damaging the ear and causing infections.


Types

Other than the wide variety of materials used to make them, ear picks vary widely in their tips and embellishments. Disposable plastic ear picks with a
cotton swab Cotton swabs (American English) or cotton buds (British English), also Q-tips ( proprietary eponym), are wads of cotton wrapped around a short rod made of wood, rolled paper, or plastic. They are most commonly used for ear cleaning, although th ...
at one end are increasingly popular.


Tips

*''Ladle'': The traditional and most commonly seen type of tip for the ear pick. They comprise a
spoon A spoon (, ) is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a table setting, place setting, it ...
or
spatula A spatula is a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, spread and lift material including foods, drugs, plaster and paints. In medical applications, "spatula" may also be used synonymously with tongue depressor. The word ''spatula'' derives ...
. *''Loop(s)'': Tips made of single or multiple bent semi-nested loops of wire. The loops scrape and dislodge ear wax, which is then lodged in between the loops of wire. This tip does not function well in removing wet-type ear wax. A variation of this are wire loops twisted into a spiral, similar in shape to the tips of cotton swabs. The Jobson-Horne probe used in
audiology Audiology (from Latin 'to hear'; and from Ancient Greek, Greek branch of learning , ''wikt:-logia, -logia'') is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactivel ...
and
otolaryngology Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the surgical an ...
is in effect a loop-type ear-pick, where the ladle of the curette is fenestrated to effectively remove either dry or moist-type impacted earwax. *''Disks'': Multiple circular disks, typically three, extend as hoops out from a thin cylindrical shaft.


Embellishments

*''Down puff'': A ball of
goose A goose (: geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (black geese). Some members of the Tadorninae subfamily (e.g., Egy ...
down is located at the opposite end of the ear pick away from the tip. This is used to clean out tiny specks of flaky ear wax on the outer ear that may have broken off during the process of ear cleaning. *''Safety stop'': A means of preventing deep insertion into ear canal to prevent eardrum injury. *''Illumination'': A
light bulb Electric light is an artificial light source powered by electricity. Electric Light may also refer to: * Light fixture, a decorative enclosure for an electric light source * ''Electric Light'' (album), a 2018 album by James Bay * Electric Light ( ...
or
LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...
shines light through the clear plastic tip (usually a Ladle type) of the ear pick to illuminate the inside of the ear canal, which eases ear cleaning. *''Figurine'': A plastic or wooden figure, such as a small Daruma or cartoon characters are placed at the opposite end of the tip. They exist mainly to enhance the aesthetics of the ear pick. *''Toothpick'': Some earpicks end with a pointed tail, which is used as a
toothpick A toothpick is a small thin stick of wood, plastic, bamboo, metal, bone or other substance with at least one and sometimes two pointed ends to insert between teeth to remove detritus, usually after a meal. Toothpicks are also used for festive ...
. This design is common in some Chinese and old
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an earpicks.


Culture


East and South Asian

Ear picks are a commonly used item and preferred for ear wax removal in
East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...
,
South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
and
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
; most people in these areas have dry ear wax which can be easily removed using the tool. It can be used individually or by another person. The person having their ears cleaned often lies or bends down with their head in the lap of the person doing the cleaning. The cleaning of ears is often performed by a parent on a child or, among adults, by one's partner. It may also be performed by professional (non-medical) ear cleaners on the streets of cities in countries such as
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. Some individuals find ear-picking to be highly pleasurable, thus contributing to the popularity of this service being offered in Asian establishments such as massage parlors, spas, and salons.


European

Ear-spoons and ear picks are found dating from the post-medieval period of British history back into the Roman times. Ear-spoons have also been found in Scandinavian archeological Viking-age dig sites. Ornate ear scoops have also been found in 9th century
Anglo-saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
sites.


Potential hazards

The practice of ear picking may pose health hazards to the human ear if performed incorrectly. One potential danger is that of accidentally puncturing the
eardrum In the anatomy of humans and various other tetrapods, the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane or myringa, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. Its function is to transmit changes in pres ...
and/or breaking the auditory ossicles while ear picking. Usage of unsterilized ear picks can also cause infection when they are shared among different individuals. Ear cleaning in general may also be ineffective when used by one with little experience or guidance. When done incorrectly, significant amounts of ear wax may be pushed deeper into the ear canal rather than removed. The lining of the ear is delicate and can be easily damaged. Furthermore, the ear itself is to an extent self-cleaning, and produces earwax as protection from dirt, dust, and bacterial infections.


See also

* Ear picking *
Cotton swab Cotton swabs (American English) or cotton buds (British English), also Q-tips ( proprietary eponym), are wads of cotton wrapped around a short rod made of wood, rolled paper, or plastic. They are most commonly used for ear cleaning, although th ...


References


External links

* * *{{YouTube, id=oDObYVlzj_0, title=Safety Stop for ear pic Pick Hand tools