A mother who was virtually deaf for six years after using cotton buds to clean her ears has finally regained her hearing following wax removal treatment. Skye van Rensburg, 21, from Winsford, Cheshire, first damaged her left eardrum by accidentally perforating it with a cotton bud. Years later, she suffered another mishap in her right ear, leaving her with almost no hearing at all.
Initial Injury and Consequences
Skye explained that the first incident occurred while she was cleaning her ears in the shower. “I pushed the cotton bud in too far and perforated my ear drum,” she said. The pain came within two minutes and was severe, accompanied by tinnitus that sounded like “metal gates crashing.” The pain traveled down her face and neck, prompting multiple calls to NHS 111.
After seeking medical help, she was told she had a perforated eardrum and needed excess wax removed by a specialist. However, fear of pain prevented her from undergoing the procedure. “I didn’t go because I thought it would really hurt after the perforation,” she recalled. Over time, she adapted to the hearing loss, but it began affecting daily life, especially as a mother to a toddler. “I was struggling to hear her cry at night from the other room,” she said, leading her to buy a baby monitor.
Second Injury and Treatment
Skye later damaged her right ear with another cotton bud. This time, she did not perforate the eardrum but pushed wax against it, causing muffled hearing. “I had no hearing at all in my left ear and minimal hearing in my right ear,” she said. Eventually, she visited an audiologist who performed microsuction treatment to remove the built-up wax. The procedure revealed that her perforation had healed completely, and her hearing was fully restored.
“I was mind blown. I didn’t realise how deaf I was. Now I can hear absolutely everything like I should,” Skye said. A video of the wax removal procedure has since garnered over 583,000 views and 54,000 likes on social media.
Warning to Others
Skye is now warning others against using cotton buds in their ears. “Everybody uses cotton buds in their ears and don’t realise the damage they’re doing. You think you’re cleaning your ears but you’re just pushing the wax in and compacting the ear canal,” she said. “Just throw the cotton buds away – it’s not worth it.”
Viewers shared similar experiences online. One person commented, “I did that with a Q-Tip last year, I got lucky my hearing came back. Never used one again.” Another wrote, “Now I’m scared to use cotton ear buds.” A third added, “I got a double ear infection in both ears because of cotton buds. I warn everyone about them. Don’t put ANYTHING in your ears.”
