Ear Wax Removal in Railay
Four days of swimming and snorkelling and one ear has gone completely muffled, as though someone pushed a plug into it. Sound is dull, your own voice booms inside your head, and cotton buds have made it worse. Water swells wax that had been sitting harmlessly for years, and the canal blocks entirely. Ear wax removal in Railay clears it in about fifteen minutes.
Why swimming causes it
Wax is normal and the ear clears it by itself through slow outward migration. Water disrupts that completely — wax absorbs it, swells, and turns from something moving out into a plug that fills the canal. That is why this almost always appears after several days in the sea, and almost always in one ear rather than both.
Cotton buds then make it worse in a predictable way. They remove a little from the entrance and push the bulk deeper, so the ear feels briefly clearer and is then more blocked than before, with the plug wedged against the eardrum where it is harder to remove.
How it is removed safely
The nurse looks in with an otoscope first, to see what is there and confirm the eardrum is intact. That check is not optional — irrigating an ear with a perforated eardrum can cause real and lasting damage, and a proportion of people have a perforation they know nothing about.
Removal is by gentle irrigation with warm water, by microsuction, or with a small instrument under direct vision, chosen according to the wax and the canal. Hard, dry wax may need softening drops for a day or two first, which is not a delay tactic — forcing hardened wax out scratches the canal and starts an infection.
It is not painful. The rush of water feels strange and microsuction is surprisingly loud, but neither hurts, and hearing usually returns the instant the plug comes away.
What not to do yourself
The homemade approaches account for most of the ear injuries we see:
- Cotton buds — push wax deeper and scratch the canal lining
- Ear candles — no benefit whatsoever, and they burn people
- Hair grips, keys or matchsticks — perforated eardrums
- Hydrogen peroxide poured in — irritates the canal
- Getting a friend to syringe it with a water bottle
If the ear is painful rather than simply blocked, stop and do not attempt to clear it. Pain suggests infection rather than wax — see ear infection treatment.
Blocked ears, diving and flying
A wax plug matters more here than at home because of what people do.
Diving with a blocked ear means you cannot equalise on that side, which risks barotrauma and a perforated eardrum at depth. Most dive schools will not put you in the water with a blocked canal, and clearing it is one of the more common reasons people arrive holding a medical certificate form.
Flying is less risky but genuinely uncomfortable, and an ear that will not equalise on descent can ache for hours. If you are diving or flying within a few days, get it cleared beforehand rather than discovering the problem at altitude — and remember that from here, “get it cleared beforehand” means before you leave the peninsula.
When it is not wax at all
Sudden hearing loss without wax is a warning sign rather than an inconvenience, and it is the reason the nurse looks before doing anything.
If the canal is clear, the muffling may be fluid behind the eardrum, an infection, or — uncommonly but importantly — sudden sensorineural hearing loss, which needs specialist treatment within days to have the best chance of recovery.
Come in the same day rather than waiting it out if hearing drops suddenly in one ear, particularly with dizziness or ringing. On a peninsula where specialist care means a crossing, a few days of “seeing how it goes” is exactly the delay that costs the outcome.
Keeping ears clear for the rest of the trip
Once the plug is out, a few habits stop it happening again. Dry your ears after swimming by tilting your head to each side and letting water run out, then drying only the outer ear — never inside the canal.
Leave the wax alone. It is mildly acidic and antibacterial and it is genuinely protecting you; stripping it out before a week of swimming makes swimmer’s ear more likely rather than less.
If you are prone to blockages, a few drops of olive oil once a week keeps wax soft enough to migrate out on its own. And if you swim or snorkel daily, well-fitted swimming earplugs are worth more than any amount of cleaning afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
How much does ear wax removal cost?
It is priced as a short consultation with a small procedure charge and is one of the cheaper things we do. If both ears need doing, that is quoted up front.
Does it hurt?
No. Irrigation feels odd and slightly cold, and microsuction is noisy, but neither is painful. Tell the nurse immediately if anything stings.
Can I dive straight afterwards?
Usually yes, once the nurse has confirmed the eardrum is intact and the canal is not inflamed. If the canal was irritated you may be asked to wait a day.
How long does it take?
About fifteen minutes for a straightforward plug. Hard, impacted wax may need drops for a day or two and then a second short visit.
Can this be done at my resort?
Yes for simple cases on a doctor resort visit, though the clinic has better light and suction for stubborn wax.
Why does it keep happening?
Some people produce more wax, or have narrow canals. Regular cotton bud use is the other common reason. Weekly olive oil drops and leaving the canal alone prevent most recurrences.
A nurse-led clinic, part of the Takecare network
Takecare Clinic Railay is staffed by experienced English-speaking nurses, and works together with Doctor Ao Nang Takecare Medical Clinic in Ao Nang. The two clinics share doctors, records and treatment plans, so a doctor is involved whenever one is needed — reviewing a case, prescribing, or coming over to Railay — and care started on the peninsula continues without repetition if you cross to the mainland. It also means a second clinical opinion is a phone call away rather than a boat ride.
Come in, or we come to you
Takecare Clinic Railay is open 8am–10pm daily on Railay, and reachable 24 hours by phone, WhatsApp and Line — so if something happens after we close, message rather than wait until morning. Walk in without an appointment, call +66 81 718 9080, message WhatsApp or Line. If you would rather not move, ask for a doctor resort visit and we will come to you. For anything that cannot wait for a boat, see evacuation and hospital transfer.