Waxing Lyrical Trivia Quiz

Answer: Improves hearing

Ear wax has a similar function to mucus in the respiratory system and elsewhere. It physically traps foreign bodies, lubricates the ear canal, flushes away dirt and has been found to have anti-bacterial properties as well. It also seals the inside of the ear from water. Hearing works by itself without the addition of ear wax.

Answer: Haberdashery

The simple function of ear wax in haberdashery was to stop the ends of thread from fraying, it was removed from the ear and rolled onto them, and was also to allow them to be threaded more easily. Such thread is now manufactured ready waxed when required. Dentists can use wax to stop bleeding and to make casts but of course would use sterile wax in far larger quantities than can be extracted in one visit to the ears.

Answer: A book

Before synthetic products became standard, many bodily and similar fluids were used for pigment for ink and, as well as urine, one of these was ear wax. Egg is still commonly used in paint, but to fix the powder pigment rather than for the colour itself. You may find a little ear wax on the receiver of a telephone but only because it needs cleaning. I hope no one chose biscuits; ear wax is definitely not edible.

Answer: The age of whales

Unlike some other animals the age of a fully grown whale is quite hard to determine, but their ear wax does not come out as fast as it is created so, like tree rings, it can be measured and the amount can represent the number of years it has been building up for.

Answer: True

Although all variations of the same material, oriental races have dry wax which comes out in flakes, rather than the soft material found in most others called wet wax. This is because the composition is 20-50% fat from dry to wet and the nature is inherited. Because of this, various products have been made to remove it using little picks or spades as it is far easier to pull out than the wet type.

Answer: False

Unless you have an excessive buildup, usually resulting in partial deafness, tinnitus and possible headaches, nature allows the wax to work its way out on its own. Although you can usually find a fair amount if you do look, it is not stuck there but doing the job it was created for, and if not causing problems should be left to its own devices.

The dry oriental wax is slightly different and can be taken out manually with specially designed implements if causing any irritation. But any professional removal can also lead to complications if not carried out perfectly, and can perforate the eardrum if done carelessly, or cause an infection if the wax is not removed completely.

Answer: Fatty acids and dead skin cells

Fatty acids are secreted by the sebaceous and ceruminous glands and given bulk by the keratinocyte skin cells, the wax should be the optimum amount. Too little leaves the ear open to bacterial and fungal infections, while too much will also allow infection through causing a blockage, and interfere with hearing. Due to its sticky nature, it is hard to determine whether some ingredients are made in the wax or caught by it after it is created, so there is no definitive composition of the minor substances, but it also includes alcohol, squalene and cholesterol which are made by the wax producing cells. Sebum is similar but for lubricating the scalp and making the skin waterproof and is secreted by the sebaceous glands.

Answer: A cotton bud/ Q-Tip

Irrigation and manual removal using specially designed instruments are the medical ways to remove excess wax, usually carried out after a person suffering from symptoms such as partial deafness and headaches is found to have excess wax through direct inspection with an otoscope. Olive oil, or many other equally effective products, can be used by anyone with a history of excess wax production to speed up the natural flow and allow it to leave faster and allow for more to be produced without creating a blockage.

Under no circumstances should a cotton swab be inserted in the ear. Although they will come out with wax on, giving the impression it is being removed, in fact it is pushing it further in, and one false move can perforate the eardrum.

Answer: Green

Although we normally associate all ear wax with yellow, it lightens with time once on the surface to almost white, and can naturally be darker from orange through to brown and almost black in some cases. The darkest shades are normally due to local pollution being caught in it rather than how it starts off, but everything from yellow to light brown can be normal when freshly made. Green would not be normal and would probably only have a greenish tinge if there was something green floating in the atmosphere in a sufficient quantity to cause it.

Answer: Urea peroxide

Rather than actually break up the wax, mineral or olive oil is used to soften the wax to flow out itself. The urea (or carbamide, a technical term often used as people don't like the idea of using urea in their bodies) peroxide actually reacts with the wax harmlessly, and creates bubbles which then break it up before the liquid medium allows it to flow out afterwards. Sodium bicarbonate is another alternative to do the same thing.