Q-Tips

I was listening to NPR recently and heard a story about a woman who decided to adjust her life so as to create as little trash as possible and any trash she did create, ie that could not be recycled or composted, she had to carry around with her at all times. The host of the show read a question that had been e-mailed in from a listener wondering with horror if it meant that she wasn't using Q-Tips to clean her ears (she indeed was not although she normally did,) the assumption on the part of the listener being that everyone uses them and not to would be downright unsanitary. So I was curious, how prevalent is it? Do the grannies use them? Personally, I don't and don't recall ever having used them as an adult. While I couldn't find any polling data on Q-Tip use, I did find this post at WebMD that indicates that Q-Tip use can actually be bad for you so maybe I'm onto something.

While excess, hard, or obstructive earwax can be problematic, most earwax (cerumen) is infinitely more beneficial. It is a normal, protective coating for the sensitive skin of the ear canal. A canal coated with ear wax will repel water and help prevent external ear infections. When you dig it out like some demented gold miner, you leave your ear very vulnerable. [...]

Chronic Q-tip use creates dryness in the sensitive ear canal. Dry skin itches. People with itchy ears use Q-tips (and other found objects) to scratch them. The scratching causes itching. Do you see the cycle here? Eventually, the damaged skin will break down and crack, allowing opportunistic bacteria or yucky fungus to invade. Congratulations. You have caused otitis externa, also known as Swimmer's Ear.

He also notes that the Q-Tip box itself warns:

"Q-Tips cotton swabs have more cotton at the tip* than any other swab, making them the safest, softest and gentlest tool you can use for family care. They also provide the ultimate precision, making them the perfect tool for uses outside your ear."

What say the grannies?