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Wet or dry earwax can determine how ‘smelly’ you are, study shows
Earwax is a substance that most people try to ignore, but did you know that it has something in common with another type of body fluid? Research shows that earwax and sweat have a similar smell.
Most of us only have to deal with ear wax every few days or weekly. It rarely has an impact on our daily lives until there’s an issue, or you develop an infection. However, it is actually connected to other areas of our body and could be a deciding factor on body odor too. Who would have thought that whether you have dry or wet your earwax, can determine how smelly you really are.
Earwax indicates how smelly your armpits are
Scientifically known as cerumen, earwax is a natural substance in your ears. Glands in your ear canal produce earwax to protect your ears from germs, Clevland Clinic explains.
Earwax can either be wet or dry, and both are healthy. This is decided by a single letter change in a gene called ABCC11. People of European or African descent tend to have wet earwax, whereas most East Asians have dry earwax.
Wondering how this is relevant? Well, according to a McGill Office for Science and Society article, people with wet earwax also produce armpit sweat with a more distinct smell.
This is because the protein made by ABCC11 is responsible for secreting molecules that are metabolized by bacteria into smelly compounds – so people with wet earwax also produce smelly armpit sweat.
The one-letter change in the DNA code for the other ABCC11 gene results in less stinky sweat. Some of the same glands involved in producing earwax secrete sweat elsewhere in the body.
People with wet earwax not only release these smelly compounds in the ear thanks to the ABCC11 transporter protein. Additionally, they also release smelly compounds through their armpit sweat, a trait scientifically known as axillary osmidrosis.
How to properly clean your ears
In both wet earwax and armpit sweat, ABCC11 transports certain natural molecules out of cells, and bacteria on the skin feast on them. This transforms them into smelly, volatile organic compounds.
Although it might feel great to clear your ear with a Q-tip, otherwise known as a cotton earbud, a specialist doctor warns against the commonly used ear wax cleaning technique that can make things worse. Using a Q-tip is only safe when used at the opening of the ear canal, but it is best to avoid them.
There is a saying to help you remember: Never put anything in your ears unless it’s bigger than your elbow. Yes it’s strange, but it’s to remind you that you should never put anything in your ear canal, as anything bigger than your elbow would surely not fit!
As for what to do with earwax, unless it is causing problems, you should simply leave it alone until it makes its way out of the ear canal. Whether it is wet or dry! Another method is to use a cleansing wipe to gently clean the opening of the ear and around it. The natural process of speaking and chewing and the movement of the jaw allows ear wax to move throughout the canal, and wax typically just falls out.
Forcing a Q-tip down the canal can push earwax further down and compact it, affecting hearing and even possibly tearing through the eardrum.
