Sometimes wax accumulates in the ear canal. This needs to be removed before a hearing assessment. An ear nurse is the best professional to see for this. An ear nurse is the best professional to do this.

Note: We do not do wax removal by suction at Auckland Hearing, we are an Audiology clinic – this list is for your information.

Please scroll down to find the details for your closest Ear Nurse Specialist and contact them directly. 

At Auckland Hearing, we provide audiological services like hearing tests and fitting hearing aids. You must see an ear nurse specialist who will remove wax from your ears. At this stage, we do not have an ear nurse working from our Auckland Hearing rooms.

Before testing your hearing at Auckland Hearing we will look in your ears to check your ear canals and eardrums are healthy and free of wax.  If your ears are blocked with wax we need to organise to have it removed before beginning the hearing test.

When your ears are blocked with wax it will affect the hearing test results, as we are trying to find out the very
quietest sounds you can hear. If they are only partially blocked (and the wax is deep in your ear canal) we may still ask you to have it removed.  This is because we use insert earphones to test your hearing and would not like to push wax further down your ear canal towards your eardrum.

If you have hearing aids or are thinking about getting them, a partial wax blockage is also likely to affect the way they work (possibly causing acoustic feedback or reducing the available sound ).

If you need wax removed, we recommend you see an ear nurse.

Why do I get wax in my ear?

Our ear canals have specialized cells that produce cerumen, commonly known as ear wax.  Ear wax is our natural ear cleaner, it also lubricates our ears and has an antibacterial function.

How does ear wax clean our ears?

The skin on our bodies is replaced and regenerated constantly. For most of our bodies, the old skin comes off on our clothes or when we dry ourselves with a towel.  We do not usually have contact with the skin in our ear canals so it is the job or the ear wax to escort the old skin cells out and away.

The skin in your ear canal naturally grows in an outward, spiral pattern.  Your natural jaw movement like talking and chewing keep the process moving.  Dead skin cells stick to the wax and they migrate slowly and constantly from deep in our ear canal – near the eardrum – to the entrance of the ear. For most people ear wax clears by itself with a normal face and hair washing.

Then why do I have wax in my ears?

Some people have ear wax accumulation over time; they may have a narrow or bendy ear canal or their natural wax system may not be working so well (perhaps from using cotton buds in their ears).  Also sometimes using hearing aids or earplugs may cause wax build up as the ear canal is blocked and the wax cannot migrate out all the way.  An ear nurse specialist is the best professional to see if you need wax removed.

Getting it out…

People are often tempted to use cotton buds or other items to clear their ears. This can push the wax further down the canal, further impacting the wax or may even push it onto the eardrum – which is very uncomfortable.  It is also possible to puncture the eardrum, which is very painful and can have long-lasting effects.

Why should I see an ear nurse specialist?

An ear nurse will offer you safe removal of ear wax or other debris blocking the ear canal using a microscope and gentle micro-suction. Suctioning is less traumatic than syringing and has a lower risk of infection. Ear nurse specialists are trained in ear health.

What if I get the wax out and I still can’t hear well?

A wax blockage can cause hearing loss because it can act as an earplug and stop sound passing through your ear canal to your eardrum. Sometimes taking the wax out, can help you to hear better. However, if there is a gap through to the eardrum sound will be passing through normally.  Please contact us at Auckland Hearing if you are still not hearing well enough after that wax has been taken out. We will do a hearing assessment, and we can let you know what to do next.

Ear nurse directory

Central Auckland

Lesley Tuck

155 Remuera Rd, Remuera
Adults $50 ACC & War Veterans – no surcharge
Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursdays
Ph: 09 529-5550   mb 0273 500 004

East and South Auckland

Debby Sandow

​50 O’Halloran Road Howick 2014
Home visits available in Howick or Pakuranga
Debby can see children
Fee: $45.00
ACC & War Veterans – no surcharge
Ph 0274 427040  

Carol Lazarus  – Ear Nurse Specialist

Takanini – Mondays
26 Balgowan Terrace, Conifer Grove
Pakuranga/ Takanini – alt. Fridays 10 am to 4 pm
170 King Street / 26 Balgowan Terrace, Conifer Grove
Ph: 0800 111 565 or Mb 021 1658 556 

South Auckland Ears – Ian Fitzgerald

​Counties Medical building, 6 O’Shannessey Street
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings: 4 pm until 7.20pm
Saturday: 8.20 to 1.20pm
Fees: $50.00 adults, $45.00 seniors, $35.00 children.
Phone or text Ian on 021 540 535 

North and West

Nurse Specialist Ear Clinic – Margaret Couillault

​Health – I Care Medical Centre Building,
215 Wairau Road, Wairau Valley
Ph: 09 634 0893
Book online
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday

Professional Ear care – Barbara Middleton and Kahn Bury

​​​​Westcare Specialist Centre, 1 Moselle Avenue or off 131 Lincoln Road, HendersonClinic days:
Tuesdays 9 am to 4 pm with Barbara Vail Middleton CNS Otology
Fridays from 8.30 am to 4 pm with Kahn Bury, Ear Nurse Specialist.

Fees: First Visit – $55.00; Gold card holders – $50.00; Follow up – $50.00; Examination only – $45; Tertiary Students – $40.00; Children – $40; War Pension and ACC Hearing Aid clients are free as the costs are claimed through those departments or Associations; IHC Clients & special Olympians are free
Ph: 09 834 4446

Auckland Wide

Carol Lazarus  – Ear Nurse Specialist

Please call for an appointment
Ph: 0800 111 565 or Mb 021 1658 556

Mon: Pukekohe/Takanini
Tues: Henderson/Henderson
Wed: Papakura/Takanini
Thurs: Manukau/Takanini
Fri: Pakuranga/Howick

These are alternating weeks, 9am-4:30pm

Auckland DHB Ear Clinics- (Children ONLY)

The ear nurse service is available (and free) to all children living in the Auckland District Health Board area. The area is bordered by Point Chevalier, Avondale, Blockhouse Bay, Otahuhu, Mt Wellington, Glen Innes, The Eastern Bays and The Gulf Islands.

There are two options to access this service.  

• Ear Clinic Greenlane Clinical Centre  (9am to 2:30pm)
• Mobile Ear Clinic – which visits some schools in the area.

Services provided by Mobile Ear Clinics are:

• Glue ear assessment and management
• Wax/foreign-body removal
• Grommets checks
• Treatment of discharging ear(s)
• NB: NO hearing tests are performed in the Mobile Ear Clinic.

To make an appointment:

Who Can Refer:  General Practitioners, medical or educational personnel, parents/caregivers.

• Call:  please phone Starship community (09) 639 0200
• Non-urgent: written referral to Central Referral Centre, Building 10, Ground Floor, Greenlane Clinical Centre
• Acute referral e.g. chronic suppurating otitis media:  fax referral toAudiology, Greenlane Clinical Centre at (09) 630 9751

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