Earwax, or cerumen, is a normal, naturally occurring substance that helps your ear stay healthy.
Earwax helps to prevent debris, dirt, and other things from entering the ear canal and also helps to prevent infection. In fact, the ears are self-cleaning, and old earwax, along with dead skin cells, gets moved from inside the ear to the ear opening, where it eventually falls out.
In general, when earwax builds up, it naturally gets forced out of the ear. Sometimes our bodies overproduce earwax, especially if we’re stressed or afraid. If there is an overproduction, and it doesn’t get forced out of the ear, it can cause a blockage.
Read on to learn what different ear wax colors may mean.
Common earwax colors
There are two common types of earwax:
- yellow-brown, which tends to be wet
- white-gray, which is dry
The color of earwax can vary, depending on a person’s ethnicity and health.
One study found that dry earwax is common among people of East Asian descent. Wet earwax is common among people of most other ethnicities. This is because of a mutation of a gene that aids in making the earwax wet.
There are various types of earwax and other ear discharge, so don’t panic if you see a range of colors and textures over time.
