We tried an earwax cleaner with a built-in microscope to see what we would find
- Earwax protects the ear from foreign particles, but too much wax can lead to blockage.
- The BEBIRD M9 Pro Otoscope Visual Ear Cleaning Stick is an ear cleaner with a built-in microscope.
- Insider Producer Celia Skvaril tried it and spoke to Hearing Healthcare Expert Chantelle Emery.
Following is transcript of the video.
Celia Skvaril: Oh my God, we hit the freaking jackpot, guys. Today, I am going to be trying the Bebird smart visual ear-cleaning rod. It's basically an ear cleaner with a built-in microscope. When I tell you I have never been more excited to try something, I am not lying. It has been my dream to see inside my ear. Since I really don't feel like rupturing my eardrum today, I ran this past a few otolaryngologists and audiologists, and they said it was safe for me to try at home. It does come with quite a few different heads, but I'm just going to use the one that comes on the product already.
Oh my God, we're in. We're in, we're in, we're in. Oh, wow, OK, I really need to shave my ear? Can you do that? Oh my God, look at that. What is that? It looks like blood. Oh my God. We hit the freaking jackpot. Oh my God, we hit the freaking jackpot, guys. All right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right. Oh, whoa, OK, so we already have more right here, right off the bat. Like that's a good amount. Ooh. Yes. That is like, honestly freaking exciting. Alright. Holy s---. Oops, sorry. I lost it, go back. Oh my God, oh my God! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. This is the greatest thing I've ever ever seen. Aah! oh my God, it's moving. Aah, oh, I thought it was a cockroach. I wonder why the left ear's so much more gloopy than the right. Why does it look like that? Why does it look like a freaking spiderweb?
So that was definitely unlike anything I have ever tried before. It definitely didn't hurt. It felt like, a little bit weird. I think my ears definitely look cleaner afterwards. They're obviously not perfect. I'm going to be speaking to hearing healthcare expert Chantelle Emery on whether or not she thinks the ear-cleaning stick worked.
Chantelle Emery: I actually have one at my facility. I find them to be really great tools to kind of investigate your ear and see what's going on inside. There are some risks, but I think overall it's a really great idea that you could actually see what's in your ear. It's a great tool to remove some wax if you feel like it? But removing earwax also will increase infection risk, will increase dirt or bugs and different bacteria going into the ear. There's all those little hairs around the outside of the canal. And that's actually where the wax is formed. And there's a little piece of wax right there. It's a light brown consistency. So the darker the earwax is, the longer it's been in there usually. And then I see these little white fibers there. So you might have used a cotton tip in the previous time, because the little white fibers that I see on the right side, that actually is usually residue from Q-tips. So the wax I see on the left ear is way more runny than the right ear. It looks like it's almost like a honey consistency, very sticky. You got a little bit of buildup on the on the side of the ear canal. And then when you went in and removed that earwax, there's a lot less earwax in your ear. There's still a little bit of debris of earwax and a little bit of skin cells, but generally it looked a lot cleaner at the end. I think this product would be really well suited for individuals who have a lot of earwax production and don't like to go see the doctor or a hearing clinic and feel like they have way more comfort at home. There's benefits to being able to see what's in the ear. There's also risks of don't stick it in too deep, make sure it's clean, make sure you have the proper education, make sure there's an adult around. But it can be it can be great for people just to want to learn more about their ear and their ear health.