What your earwax says about your ancestry (2024)

FAQs

Which race produces the most earwax? ›

In the new study, 12 odiferous compounds were common to both groups, but earwax from Caucasian men produced more of 11 out of the 12 compounds, the researchers report February 5 in the Journal of Chromatography B.

Earwax comes in two types, wet and dry. The wet form predominates in Africa and Europe, where 97 percent or more of the people have it, and the dry form among East Asians, while populations of Southern and Central Asia are roughly half and half.

This is a common sign of an ear infection. Green earwax or earwax with a foul smell is also an indication of an infection. If there is blood in your earwax, this could be a sign of an injury to the ear or a ruptured eardrum. Gray or black earwax usually means there is a buildup of dust in the ear or impacted earwax.

In every case, what is being tested is the DNA contained in cells of human tissue, whether found on their own or carried by another substance, like earwax, sweat or mucus. Shed cells are also found in urine and feces, vomit, and even tears.

The scientists studied all Asians: East, South, Central, ect. The study found that 85-95% of East Asians (Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese) had the non-stinky/less sweat gland version of the gene, and therefore more likely to have dry earwax.

This study confirmed that the Japanese population has two distinct earwax types. The genotype detection rate among 1963 nail samples was 99.6%, and the average allele-A frequency (f^A) among 47 prefectures was 0.878.

Because Native Americans came to the North American continent from Siberia via the Bering Strait about 15,000 years ago, they also carry the same variant of the ABCC11 gene, and therefore also have dry, non-smelly earwax.

That's right, earwax type and body odour seem to be intimately related because they rely on the same genetic code. Healthy dry earwax does fall out of the ear better than wet earwax, and it is effective at preventing ear infections.

One large study failed to find any significant differences across ethnicity in residual compounds on the skin, including those located in sweat. If there were observed ethnic variants in skin odor, one would find sources to be much more likely in diet, hygiene, microbiome, and other environmental factors.

Yellow to orange: Fresh earwax. Darker orange: Earwax is sticky, flaky, or older earwax that has picked up debris. Orange to brown: Sticky, thick, or very old earwax.

What does dark red earwax mean? ›

If your earwax is red or streaked with red, it means there is blood present. This could be due to a scratch, injury or bug bite in the ear canal. If it's also wet and runny, it likely indicates a ruptured eardrum.

Frequent washing, however, can do more harm than good because it strips the ear of this delicate, protective lining, leaving the way open for bacteria to get in and multiply. Experts, recommend that you only clean your ears every two to four weeks.

There are two versions of the gene: one codes for wet earwax, and the other codes for dry. That means if you get a "wet" version from either your mom or dad, you'll probably have wet earwax. If you have dry earwax, it's because both of your parents passed a "dry" version of the gene on to you.

Earwax type: The myth

Some people have earwax that is wet, sticky and yellow or brown; other people's earwax is dry, crumbly and grayish. Variation at a single gene determines which kind of earwax you have; the allele for wet earwax is dominant over the allele for dry earwax.

Ear wax protects the ear by: Trapping and preventing dust, bacteria, and other germs and small objects from entering and damaging the ear. Protecting the delicate skin of the ear canal from getting irritated when water is in the canal.

Mongolian populations are found to be quite high in the number of eccrine sweat glands, but have a general paucity of functioning osmidrotic apocrine sweat glands, which would seem to account for their known lack of body odor. There are three glands which secrete fluids onto the human skin.

Two of the most prevalent components in Caucasian earwax, the researchers found, are hexanoic acid, which has a barnyard animal odor, and isovaleric acid, which smells like dirty socks and parmesan cheese.

Not only do cotton swabs — and those other aforementioned instruments — not remove ear wax, but they can pose a risk of hearing loss. Using small items of any kind puts us at an increased risk of puncturing the ear drum, which can cause pain, infection and even long-term hearing loss.

Some ears produce no ear wax which results in dry and itchy ear skin. Sometimes people compulsively clean their ears and dry them out by removing the natural wax. Dry ears tend to accumulate flakes of dry dead skin. For people who just lack ear wax, occasional insertion of a few drops of vegetable oil can be helpful.

East Asians, Southeast Asians and Native Americans are more likely to have the dry type of earwax (gray and flaky), while African and European people are more likely to have wet type earwax (honey-brown, dark orange to dark-brown and moist).

Does everyone have wet earwax? ›

Instead, the type of earwax you have comes down in part to your skin type, Dr. Shapiro explains. People with oilier skin may have wet earwax, while those with drier skin tend to have dry earwax, she says. Sometimes the human body just makes sense like that.

Also mentioned in the study: "Africans" have "wet, yellowish-brown wax," and Native Americans — similar to East Asian folks — typically have "dry, white wax." "The difference between [the earwax] is caused by a single gene in the genome.

The underarm body odor has been linked to a gene called ABCC11, which encodes a protein that transports molecules across cellular membranes, including molecules in the sweat. If the ABCC11 gene is non-functional, sweat molecules are unable to cross the membrane barrier to reach the armpit.

Earwax is a protective substance that most people make. Excessive earwax may be caused by the shape of an individual's ear, ear trauma, scar tissue, water buildup, improper removal methods, and high amounts of ear hair. Older individuals are also more likely to have higher amounts of earwax.

As one of the most effective ways to remove excess wax, hydrogen peroxide is best able to remove stubborn ear wax from inside your ear canal. Using a dropper, place a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water (equal parts) into your ear as you lay on one side.

Dark brown or black colored earwax is typically older, so its color comes from the dirt and bacteria it has trapped. Adults tend to have darker, harder earwax. Dark brown earwax that is tinged with red may signal a bleeding injury. Light brown, orange or yellow earwax is healthy and normal.

The most common causes of itching are a nervous habit, fungal infection or the beginning of an infection. Other causes can be skin diseases such as psoriasis or dermatitis. Some people with allergies complain of Itchy ears. The ear canal may be normal on examination or there may be scaling of the skin.

While only 2 percent of Europeans lack the genes for smelly armpits, most East Asians and almost all Koreans lack this gene, Day told LiveScience.

The frequencies of the A and G alleles vary markedly across different ethnic groups. The A allele is very common in East Asians, and as expected, most people in this population don't need to use deodorant. And so they don't use it—it's estimated that only 7% of North East Asians regularly use deodorant.

Bromhidrosis, also known as osmidrosis or ozochrotia, is an unpleasant or offensive body odour due to any cause including poor hygiene, infections, diet or medications, or inherited metabolic disorders. It may be associated with hyperhidrosis.

What does Thick black earwax mean? ›

Dark or black earwax isn't a sign you have poor hygiene or that you're not clean. It is, however, a sign you should clean your ear canals of earwax buildup and possibly see your doctor. Black earwax may be an indication you have a wax buildup. Your ears may not naturally clean themselves the way they should.

Massage the outside of the ear

Sometimes this is all it takes to release an earwax blockage. Massage the ear in a circular pattern softening impaction. Once you've massaged your ear for a little bit try pulling your earlobe backwards. This will be particularly effective in tandem with the use of oil.

The first time you use hydrogen peroxide, place a few drops in the ear for a few seconds and then tip it out onto a tissue. Once you are used to the feel, leave the solution in the ear for up to 1 minute at a time.

Once the wax is loose and soft, all that is usually needed to remove it from the ear canal is a gentle, warm shower. Direct the water into the ear, then tip your head to let the earwax drain out. Dry your ear thoroughly with a hair dryer set on low.

Ear candling involves placing a hollow candle in the external auditory canal; a brown waxy substance, believed to be a mixture of ear wax, debris, and bacteria, is left in the candle stub. No evidence is available to suggest that ear candles are an effective treatment for any condition.

In most cases, discharge from your ear is simply ear wax making its way out of your body. This is natural. Other conditions that can cause discharge include infection or injury.

Earwax can create problems for our hearing when it starts to build up in our ears, a process known as impaction . The symptoms of impacted earwax are hearing loss, earache, sense of ear fullness, itchiness in the ear, dizziness, ringing in the ear and a cough. Ear wax build-up can lead to hearing loss.

Hydrogen Peroxide Ear Drops Recipe:

3-5ml syringe or a medicine dropper. When instilled in the ear you will feel a warm tingling sensation, and a bubbling/fizzing sound (sometimes described a little like 'Rice-Bubbles'). This solution is safe in all ears even when you have grommets or an eardrum perforation.

Ears are filled with nerve endings and stimulating these via cotton bud use can “trigger all sorts of visceral pleasure” as well as what dermatologists refer to as the “itch-scratch” cycle; once you start, it is difficult to stop!

The egg and sperm together give the baby the full set of chromosomes. So, half the baby's DNA comes from the mother and half comes from the father.

Do ears come from mom or dad? ›

6 Thanks Mom: Interesting Ears

Although practically every baby has absolutely adorable little ears, this is another trait that comes from either parent. With attached earlobes, however, this particular trait comes from a single gene.

Genetically, you actually carry more of your mother's genes than your father's. That's because of little organelles that live within your cells, the mitochondria, which you only receive from your mother.

Earwax comes in two types, wet and dry. The wet form predominates in Africa and Europe, where 97 percent or more of the people have it, and the dry form among East Asians, while populations of Southern and Central Asia are roughly half and half.

You and your parents likely share the same wet or dry types of earwax because you both share the same ABCC11 gene sequence through heredity. Genes are parts of our DNA that have the instructions for a particular feature or trait.

Some people are more prone to producing excessive earwax. A waxy buildup is particularly common in older people. As we age, the secretions change in consistency; earwax becomes drier and harder and migrates more slowly out of the canal, causing dead skin particles to collect.

So how do I clean my ears without cotton swabs? A damp, warm cloth can wipe away ear wax from the outer ear canal, and will not drive wax deeper into your ear. Over the counter softeners can soften wax and make it easier to remove. Typical ingredients in ear softening drops are saline, glycerin, baby oil, or peroxide.

You might think that you should clean your ears every day like you do your teeth. But this, unfortunately, is a bad idea. The ear canal is a naturally cleansing organ.

Nearly everyone of African descent and most people of European descent have the yellow-brown, sticky kind, called wet earwax; the dry, pale, crumbly kind prevails in East Asia; in between, in central and South Asia, both types are common.

Some people produce more earwax than others. However, according to the NHS, there are other factors that can play a part, including the production of particularly hard wax, age, bony growths in the outer ear, and having narrow or hairy ear canals.

Earwax type: The myth

Some people have earwax that is wet, sticky and yellow or brown; other people's earwax is dry, crumbly and grayish. Variation at a single gene determines which kind of earwax you have; the allele for wet earwax is dominant over the allele for dry earwax.

Are some people more prone to earwax? ›

Some people are naturally prone to earwax building up in their ears and may need frequent treatment to remove it when it becomes a problem.

Relevant paragraph from Wikipedia from the article on body odor below, but the TL;DR is that there's a gene called ABCC11 that is non-functional in 80 to 95 percent of East Asians. That allele determines both apocrine sweat gland size and activity, concentration of protein in apocrine sweat, and, oddly, wet-type vs.

They found that many East Asians have a mutation in this gene that prevents cerumen, the molecule that makes earwax wet, from entering the mix. Scientists believe that the mutation reached high frequencies in Northeast Eurasia and, following a population increase, expanded over the rest of the continent.

Excessive earwax may be caused by the shape of an individual's ear, ear trauma, scar tissue, water buildup, improper removal methods, and high amounts of ear hair. Older individuals are also more likely to have higher amounts of earwax.

Earwax production is often triggered by what hearing health care professionals call a contact stimulus. Objects like headphones, earbuds and even hearing aids that contact and rub the ears are the biggest culprits. By producing more earwax, your ears are trying to protect themselves from irritation or infection.

Dark brown or black colored earwax is typically older, so its color comes from the dirt and bacteria it has trapped. Adults tend to have darker, harder earwax. Dark brown earwax that is tinged with red may signal a bleeding injury. Light brown, orange or yellow earwax is healthy and normal.

Dark or black earwax isn't a sign you have poor hygiene or that you're not clean. It is, however, a sign you should clean your ear canals of earwax buildup and possibly see your doctor. Black earwax may be an indication you have a wax buildup. Your ears may not naturally clean themselves the way they should.

Frequent washing, however, can do more harm than good because it strips the ear of this delicate, protective lining, leaving the way open for bacteria to get in and multiply. Experts, recommend that you only clean your ears every two to four weeks.

This can happen when wax is pushed back toward the eardrum or if the ears produce more wax than needed. Stress or fear can actually increase your earwax production. The glands in the ear that assist secreting wax are called the apocrine glands.

Take care of your ears

Never insert a swab or anything else into the ear canal. Doing so can push the wax deeper, even if it appears that you're removing some wax. Help the earwax's natural migration out of the ear by using a warm, wet washcloth to clean the outer ear when you bathe each night.