Broken fingernails, Lego and dead moths.
They are just three of the strangest objects an ENT surgeon has ever had to pull out of their ears.
DR Riaz Rampuri, who works at a private clinic in London, also admitted to removing bees, small stones and plastic beads in the past.
The 31-year-old is the co-founder of Auris Ear Care, a 24/7 mobile ear care practice that treated celebrities in five-star hotels for bedridden patients during the pandemic.
Speaking to MailOnline, he told how he recently came across a three-year-old child with a pea in his ear.
Cotton balls, plastic beads and earplugs are the “most common items” he sees. Rings – small tubes inserted into the eardrum – left in the ears are also common, said Dr. Rampuri to MailOnline. In the photo above, the garden pea has been removed from the ear of a 3-year-old child
DR. Riaz Rampuri, pictured above, is co-founder of Auris Ear Care, a 24/7 mobile ear care practice that treated celebrities in five-star hotels for inpatients during the pandemic
But other patients arrived with tissue paper or even Play-Doh in the canal.
In a bizarre case, Dr. Rampuri a live moth from a patient’s ear.
He told MailOnline: “At first I thought I saw a dead moth sitting flat on someone’s eardrum as if it had been crushed by someone sticking a cotton swab in their ear.
“At first it looked like a lump of dark old earwax, but when I examined it with alligator tweezers, the signs of life faded.
“The patient said, ‘I feel something moving,’ and I replied, ‘I see something moving.’ The moth really lived in someone’s ear.”
Dr. Rampuri also revealed that cotton balls, plastic beads and attached hearing aid domes — bell-shaped pieces of silicone that attach to the end of the hearing aid — are the “most common items” he sees.
Grommets — small tubes temporarily inserted into the eardrum during surgery — that remain in the ears are also common, he said.
But Dr. Rampuri prefers to remove silicone ear tips because “this” is extremely challenging.”
He added: “Every silicone earplug client I have removed is from a failed attempt, whether by an NHS A&E department, a private audiologist or a private GP.
“These patients come to me without faith, in a scared state and often have spent a lot of money elsewhere.”
The pandemic has also led to a change in the type of referrals that Dr. Rampuri received, he told MailOnline.
Cases of wax removal have also increased “drastically”, he said.
For most people, earwax will naturally disappear over time, but 2.3 million people in the UK have had their earwax removed by a professional.
Untreated, earwax buildup can cause temporary hearing loss, tinnitus, ear pain, and an increased risk of infection or dizziness.
The NHS website recommends putting two to three drops of “medical grade olive or almond oil” in your ear three to four times a day for three to five days to self-medicate.
In November, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People warned of the “dangerous” and fabricated methods people were being forced to use, including paper clips and toothpicks, as many GPs stopped providing treatment.
Cotton swabs – which my patients often prefer to relieve itching – push the wax further down the ear and make the ear congestion worse.
DR Rampuri told MailOnline: “There has been a marked increase in the number of ear infections observed monthly. However, it can be multifactorial.”
“Increasing use of headphones as more people work from home promotes a warm and humid environment in the ear canal.
“These conditions are ideal for bacteria to multiply rapidly and cause infection.”
He added: “NHS emergency services are under increasing pressure, leaving patients with little choice but to seek private ear pain treatment services.”
His clinic also noted a 40 percent increase in patients presenting with yeast infections compared to pre-pandemic levels.
However, he attributes this to “poor earpiece hygiene and the increasing use of in-ear headphones by those who now work from home”.
Regarding the health of your ears, Dr. Rampuri recommends sticking nothing less than your elbow in your ears, trying to keep your ears dry, and using headphones instead of headphones.
Silicone-based earplugs should also be avoided, as should cotton swabs in the ear canal.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
