Unusual ‘Headphones’ Clean Out Earwax Instead Of Blasting Music
Image via OtoSet
A medical device startup has a sound plan to clear the gunk from your ears.
For context, doctors actually discourage cleaning your ears with cotton buds, as the tips could push wax further into the canal; this can lead to hearing loss. It’s much safer and more effective to flush your ears out with liquid, but it can be a messy affair.
Seattle-based SafKan Health has looked to no other than the form factor of over-the-ear headphones to design a cleaning device that’s convenient, mess-free, and does the job quickly. These “headphones” blast out a cleanser instead of music, freeing up your listening holes for more nuanced bass.
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The OtoSet Ear Cleaning System, as it is called, is music to the ears of the Food and Drug Administration, which has cleared the product for use. The downside is that the device isn’t meant to be utilized at home, but should be administered by healthcare professionals only, Gizmodo reports.
The oversized ear caps have a purpose here—each contains two chambers to enable a unique irrigation and micro-suction system. First, you fill the upper zone with cleaning liquid, which flows into the ears through disposable ear tips.
The liquid solution then dissolves the earwax, and the micro-suction technology draws it back out into the lower chamber to dispose of the dirt. The lower part is disposable and can be recycled right after use, making the procedure mess-free from start to finish.
The entire process takes only five minutes, says SafKan Health.
The tool is for clinical use only, which explains its steep price of US$3,059. There’s also a one-year bundle, priced at US$2,753, that offers disposable ear tips enough for 240 ears.
All told, earwax is formed for a good reason, as icky as it may seem. It protects your ears from dust and dirt—though too much of it can clog up the canals.
According to Harvard University, you can safely remove excessive earwax by soaking a cotton ball with a bit of plain water or saline solution, and then tilting your head to trickle the fluid into your ear. Then, lean the other way to drain out the liquid.
