Professional ear wax removal in Surrey

Before your visit — soften the wax with olive oil

For 3 to 5 days before your appointment, place 2–3 drops of olive oil into each ear, ideally twice a day (morning and night). Lie on your side for a minute after each dose to let the oil settle deeper into the ear canal.

This is the single biggest thing you can do to make the appointment quick and comfortable — softened wax lifts out cleanly in a fraction of the time. Pre-warmed olive oil (just hold the bottle in your hand for a minute) feels much nicer than cold drops. Sodium bicarbonate drops from any pharmacy work equally well if you prefer.

⚠️ Don't use cotton buds, ear candles, or anything pushed into the ear — these usually make wax impaction worse.

At the clinic — gentle otoscopic examination

Your clinician begins with an otoscope — a small handheld light with magnification — to look inside each ear canal and at the eardrum. We assess how much wax there is, where it sits and whether microsuction is suitable for you (it almost always is — including for people with perforated eardrums, grommets or hearing aids).

You'll see and hear everything that's happening. We'll talk you through what we find before any treatment begins, so there are no surprises.

The microsuction itself

A fine low-pressure suction probe — a bit like a tiny, very precise vacuum — is gently moved into the outer part of the ear canal under magnified vision. The clinician watches every millimetre through magnification, so nothing is ever pushed in blind.

You'll hear a quiet whooshing or vacuum sound near the ear (that's the suction itself), but it should be completely painless. The wax lifts out and into the suction tip. No water enters the ear, which is why microsuction is preferred over old-fashioned syringing or irrigation.

Most appointments are done in 15 to 30 minutes, including the exam.

All clear — aftercare and follow-up

We'll show you the ear canal again after treatment so you can see the difference. Most people notice a noticeable improvement in hearing straight away, sometimes dramatically so.

Aftercare is simple:

• Keep the ears dry for about 24 hours (no swimming or deep-water showering)
• Avoid cotton buds — let the ears self-clean
• Use olive oil drops once a week as a preventative if you're prone to wax build-up

If you'd like, we can review you again in 4–6 weeks, but most people don't need to come back until the next build-up — typically 6 to 12 months later.