Ear Wax Removal in South Ealing

We are your local ear wax removal clinic, on South Ealing Road a few minutes from South Ealing station. Microsuction is carried out by trained pharmacists under direct vision, with no GP referral needed. Book your appointment today.

Book ear wax removalCall 020 8560 3532

4.7 from 127 Google reviews/Serving South Ealing, Ealing W5

Pharmacist carrying out microsuction ear wax removal for patients from South Ealing
🏡 Local treatment

Ear wax removal for South Ealing patients

This is our own high street, so most South Ealing patients are people we already know. That changes the appointment more than you might expect. We can see from your record whether you have been buying olive oil drops for six months, whether you are taking anything that dries the canal, and whether the last blockage was in the same ear.

It also makes the follow-up genuinely easy. If wax is unusually hard and needs a second visit, coming back is a five minute errand rather than an afternoon. Nobody in W5 needs to plan a journey for this, which is exactly why we would rather see you early than after three months of muffled hearing.

👂 The methods

How ear wax is actually removed

Ear wax is normal and healthy, and most of the time it clears on its own. It only needs removing when it blocks the canal and affects hearing, causes pressure or ringing, or stops a hearing aid seating properly. When it does, the method used matters more than most people expect.

Microsuction

What we use

A low pressure suction probe lifts the wax out under direct vision, with no water and nothing pushed further into the canal.

How it works
The pharmacist views your ear canal through a magnified light source and uses a fine suction tube to draw the wax away in pieces. Because the canal stays dry and visible throughout, the eardrum is never worked on blind.
What it feels like
Most people describe it as loud rather than painful. The suction makes a rushing noise close to the eardrum for a few seconds at a time, and hearing usually improves the moment a plug shifts.
Who it suits
Almost everyone, including hearing aid users, people with a perforated eardrum, previous ear surgery, or recurrent ear infections, all of which rule out water based methods.

Ear irrigation

The older NHS method

Warm water is pumped into the canal to flush the wax out. Widely used for decades and still offered in some surgeries.

How it works
A controlled jet of body temperature water is directed at the canal wall so it flows behind the wax and floats it out into a receiver held under the ear.
What it feels like
Wet and slightly disorientating. Dizziness is common if the water is not exactly body temperature, and you cannot see what is happening while it is done.
Who it suits
Only people with a completely intact eardrum and no history of ear surgery or infection. We do not offer irrigation, because microsuction achieves the same result without those restrictions.

Manual removal

Used alongside suction

Fine instruments lift out wax that is too hard or too close to the canal wall for suction alone to shift.

How it works
A small hook or loop is used under magnification to ease a stubborn plug away from the skin of the canal, usually so that suction can then take it cleanly.
What it feels like
Brief and quiet compared with suction. You may feel light pressure against the canal wall for a second or two.
Who it suits
Anyone whose wax has dried hard against the canal, which is common if drops were not used beforehand or the blockage has been building for months.

Olive oil drops

Before your appointment

Softening the wax at home for a few days beforehand is the single biggest thing you can do to make removal quick and comfortable.

How it works
Two or three drops of plain olive oil in each affected ear break down the wax so it releases from the canal wall rather than clinging to it.
What it feels like
Hearing often feels worse for the first day or two, because softened wax expands to fill the canal. This is normal and it is not a sign the drops are not working.
Who it suits
Everyone booked in with us, twice a day for three to five days beforehand. If your ear is painful or discharging, call us first rather than starting drops.
The team at South Ealing Pharmacy
👋 Meet the team

Your local pharmacy team

South Ealing Pharmacy is a community pharmacy and trusted healthcare partner. For over a decade we have delivered personal, professional care from the same shop on South Ealing Road, a short trip from South Ealing: prescription dispensing including electronic repeats, travel vaccinations, general immunisations, private health checks, and a collection and delivery service.

Whether you need everyday advice or a specific treatment, you can walk in and talk to a pharmacist, or book a clinic appointment online in about a minute.

More about usCall 020 8560 3532
📋 Your appointment

What happens at your appointment

A microsuction appointment takes 20 to 30 minutes and covers both ears. You do not need a GP referral, and nothing is decided before the pharmacist has actually looked inside the ear.

  1. 1

    A short history first

    We ask what changed and when, whether one ear or both are affected, and about anything that rules certain methods out: previous ear surgery, a perforation, recent infection, dizziness, or a hearing aid you rely on daily.

  2. 2

    Video otoscope examination

    Your ear canal and eardrum are examined with a video otoscope, so you can see the blockage on screen rather than take our word for it. Occasionally this shows there is very little wax, in which case we say so and refer you on rather than treat you.

  3. 3

    Microsuction, one ear at a time

    The wax is drawn out under magnification with a fine suction probe. The pharmacist stops and checks progress as they go, and will pause any time you ask. Hard wax may be lifted with an instrument first.

  4. 4

    A second look at the eardrum

    Once the canal is clear the eardrum is examined properly, which is often the first time it has been visible. If we find anything that needs a GP or an ENT opinion, such as signs of infection or a perforation, we tell you before you leave.

  5. 5

    You hear the difference in the chair

    Most patients notice the improvement immediately. We show you the after view on screen and talk through how to keep the canal clear so you are not back in three months.

If the wax is unusually hard and cannot be fully cleared in one session, we will not keep going past the point of comfort. You go home with softening drops and come back for a follow-up appointment, which we do not charge for.

🤝 Aftercare

After your appointment

Removal is quick. Keeping the canal clear is the part that decides whether you need us again next year, and it is mostly about what you stop doing.

The first day or two

Your hearing may feel unusually sharp at first, because you have adjusted to hearing through a blockage. Some people notice mild tinnitus or a slight echo for a day. Both settle. Keep the ear dry for 24 hours and do not go swimming or use in-ear headphones straight away.

Nothing smaller than your elbow

Cotton buds are the most common reason people end up back with a blockage. They compact wax against the eardrum rather than removing it, and they strip the natural oil that lets the canal clear itself. The same goes for ear candles, which have no evidence behind them and carry a real burn risk.

If you wear hearing aids

Aids sit in the canal all day and slow the natural outward movement of wax, so hearing aid users build wax faster than average. Bring your aids with you and we will check they seat correctly once the canal is clear. Most people in aids benefit from a check every six to twelve months.

Keeping it from coming back

If you are prone to blockages, a few drops of olive oil once a week is usually enough to keep wax mobile. It is cheaper than treatment and far more pleasant than waiting until your hearing goes.

When to come back sooner

Ear pain, discharge, sudden hearing loss in one ear, or dizziness that does not settle are not wax problems and should be looked at. Call us on the day rather than waiting for a routine appointment, and we will tell you honestly whether it is something we can help with.

Advice & News

Ear health advice from our pharmacists

Browse all articles
Ear Wax Removal Ealing

Ear Wax Removal Ealing

Learn how professional ear wax removal services in Ealing, including microsuction at South Ealing Pharmacy, can safely restore your hearing.

Read more
📍 Why South Ealing

Why patients from South Ealing choose us

For South Ealing this is simply the pharmacy on the corner, and that turns out to matter. Wax removal works best when you come at the point hearing first starts to dip rather than months later, and people only do that when the appointment costs them nothing but ten minutes. Being able to walk in, be seen and walk home is why local patients tend to catch it early.

Near
  • South Ealing station
  • Lammas Park
  • South Ealing Road shops
🚉 Finding us

Getting here from South Ealing

5 minutes door to door

Nearest station

South Ealing (Piccadilly line)

By tube or train

We are a few minutes walk from South Ealing station, on the same road. Turn right out of the station and we are along on the right at number 186.

By car

For most of South Ealing this is a walk rather than a drive. If you do drive, there is free parking on the residential streets running off South Ealing Road.

186 South Ealing Road, London W5 4RJ

Patient reviews

What patients near South Ealing say

4.7/ 127+ Google reviews

Service was fantastic, an amazing job, ears are clean and I can finally hear again. 5 star service

Joe Arnold Google review
4.7
Average rating from 127+ Google reviews
Read all on Google

Excellent and explained all I needed to know as well as clearing my ears. Very highly recommended.

David Brooks Google review

Thank you for doing such an amazing job with my ears! Unreal work thank you

Macca Hughes Google review
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South Ealing Pharmacy at 186 South Ealing Road, London W5 4RJ offers professional ear wax removal serving South Ealing (W5). The clinic is approximately 5 minutes from South Ealing by car or public transport.

We use microsuction, which is widely regarded as the safest and most effective method for ear wax removal. A trained pharmacist uses a gentle suction device to remove wax under direct vision, without putting water or instruments blindly into the ear canal.

No GP referral is needed. You can book directly online at southealingpharmacy.co.uk or by calling 020 8560 3532. Appointments are available six days a week.

Most microsuction appointments take 20 to 30 minutes. Both ears are assessed during the appointment and wax is removed in the same session where possible.

We recommend using olive oil ear drops two to three times a day for three to five days before your appointment. Softening the wax makes removal quicker and more comfortable. If your ear is painful or discharging, contact us before applying drops.

Yes. Our pharmacists are experienced treating patients of all ages. We examine the ear first and only carry out microsuction where it is safe and comfortable to do so. If it is not, we will say so and point you to the right service rather than proceed.

A few minutes walk. We are at 186 South Ealing Road, W5 4RJ, on the same road as the station, which sits on the Piccadilly line between Northfields and Acton Town.

Microsuction needs a booked slot, because the room and the equipment have to be free. That said, same-day appointments are often available, so it is always worth calling in or ringing 020 8560 3532 to ask what is left today.

It helps. We can see what you are taking before you sit down, which is useful because some medicines dry the ear canal and make wax harder to shift. It also means the aftercare advice is tailored rather than generic.

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Come and see us

186 South Ealing Road, London W5 4RJ

2 min walk from South Ealing station (Piccadilly line) · free parking nearby

020 8560 3532

Opening hours

Monday – Friday8:30 – 18:30
Saturday9:00 – 18:30
SundayClosed
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