Monica Walker
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Among the many signs of aging, a loss of hair where it should be and an abundance of hair where it shouldn’t be is one that no man really wants to think about.
But if you’re finding that ear hair is starting to affect how you’re using and wearing your hearing aids, it’s a topic that needs to be addressed; with proper maintenance of the ear hair, you can not only improve hearing aid comfort and performance but also help boost your confidence.
Why Do We Grow Ear Hair?
While excess ear hair is typically associated with older gentlemen, we all grow hair in our ears of two different kinds:
Vellus hairs, which are akin to “peach fuzz,” grow on the outer portion of the ear. They’re non-pigmented and can grow longer and thicker as we age.
Tragi hairs, which are thicker, stiff terminal hairs, become prominent in the outer portion of the ear canal. They typically occur more often in men than women.
Ear hair protects the ear canal by filtering out dust and debris from affecting the eardrum, but too much ear hair can lead to hearing health issues and problems with hearing aid performance.
How Does Ear Hair Affect My Hearing Aids?
When the tragi hairs in our ears become excessive, they can lead to fitting and performance conflicts for your hearing aids in a few different ways:
Poor Acoustic Seal
Earmolds need a tight acoustic seal to perform as needed. If ear hair is pushing your hearing aid from your ear, the earmold will not fit properly, leading to performance issues.
In-the-Ear Hearing Aids Won’t Stay Put
Thick ear hair pushes against earmolds and hearing aids, which can prevent them from fitting properly.
Inaccurate Ear Impressions
To get the most accurate impression for your earmolds, thick tragi hairs must be trimmed down.
Earwax Buildup
Excessive ear hair can prevent earwax from working its way out of your ear canal naturally, which leads to earwax buildup or impaction that could affect hearing aid performance.
How to Deal with Excessive Ear Hair Growth
Excessive ear hair growth can cause performance and fitting issues with your hearing aids; keeping it under control is crucial to help your devices help you.
Using round-tipped scissors or ear and nose hair trimmers is your best bet for removing excess ear hair. There’s no shame in asking for help with this so you don’t injure yourself by accident in the process.
Scissors with a pointed tip, nail clippers, or wax are to be avoided when removing ear hair, as they can do more harm than good.
Permanent laser hair removal can also be considered if you’re struggling to keep up with excess ear hair growth.
