- 01784 613239
- Unit 11, Littleton Rd, Ashford TW15 1UU
- Mon–Fri 9am–6pm
- Free prescription delivery TW15–TW18
Wax only becomes a problem when it stops sound from getting through or starts irritating the canal. These are the complaints we hear most often at the counter.
A blocked ear after a cold or swimming is common. Wax buildup can also occur from using cotton buds. If you have ear pain with discharge, bleeding, sudden hearing loss, severe vertigo, or tinnitus in one ear, do not book an appointment. These symptoms indicate that microsuction is unsafe; seek urgent medical help from your GP or A&E.
What you get
Price
Ear examination and microsuction, both ears
£59.00
Examination only, where no wax is found
£25.00
The £59.00 fee covers both ears, however much wax is present. We do not charge per ear, and we do not charge extra for a second pass if the wax is stubborn.
If the examination shows your ears are already clear, you pay £25.00 for the appointment and nothing more. You will still get a proper look inside both ears and advice on what is causing your symptoms.
Payment is taken at the pharmacy on the day. No referral or NHS form is needed.
Call or book online. Answer questions about past ear issues and soften wax with olive oil drops for three to five days.
The pharmacist reviews your symptoms, ear history, and medications. An otoscope examines your ear to confirm wax as the cause.
Sit upright as the pharmacist uses low-pressure suction to remove wax. You’ll hear sounds, but most find it easy.
Microsuction is a method NHS ENT departments use for wax removal. The clinician views your ear canal under magnification and uses a fine suction tube to draw the wax out.
Nothing is flushed into the ear. No water, no sprays, and no pressure pushed against the eardrum.
The pharmacist can see the wax, the canal wall, and the eardrum throughout. That direct view is what makes the method controlled, since the suction tip only goes where it is meant to go.
Because the ear stays dry, microsuction suits patients that irrigation would rule out. That includes people with a past history of a healed perforation, previous ear surgery, or repeated ear infections (provided the ear is currently healthy and fully healed).
Treatment usually takes a few minutes per ear. Very hard; impacted wax can take longer, which is why pre-softening with oil helps so much.
Method
How it works
Points to consider
Microsuction
Suction under magnification, with the ear kept dry
Direct view of the canal, no water, suitable after perforation or ear surgery, can be noisy
Ear syringing or irrigation
Warm water pumped into the canal to flush wax out
Not suitable with a perforation, grommets, a mastoid cavity, or recent ear surgery, and carries a higher infection risk
Manual instrument removal
Wax lifted with a probe or loop under magnification
Useful for wax sitting close to the entrance, often combined with suction
Over the counter drops
Olive oil or sodium bicarbonate softens the wax
Helpful for mild build-up, rarely enough on its own for impacted wax
Cotton buds and ear candles
Not clinical treatment
Push wax deeper, risk canal trauma, burns, and perforation. Avoid both
Syringing is now offered far less widely in general practice, which is why most patients in Surrey come to a private clinic for microsuction. It is the method we offer here.
Microsuction is a low-risk procedure, but it is not completely free of effects. Knowing what is normal saves you worrying afterwards.
Call us or contact 111 if you get ear pain that builds over the following days, discharge, bleeding, or hearing that gets worse rather than better.
Tell the pharmacist before treatment if you have ever had a perforated eardrum, ear surgery, grommets, a mastoid cavity, or severe vertigo. It changes how we approach the appointment.
Some patients find the new volume of everyday sound startling for an hour or so. That settles quickly as your hearing readjusts.
The most common group we treat. Wax build-up tends to creep up slowly, so people often put up with muffled hearing for months.
We assess children on a case-by-case basis, and they need to be able to sit still for the procedure. Younger children are usually better managed through the GP.
Wax gets drier and harder with age, and narrower canals make blockages more likely. Clearing it can make a real difference to conversation and confidence.
Moulds and domes slow the ear’s natural clearing, so wax collects faster. Regular removal keeps aids working and stops feedback whistling.
Wet ears swell the wax and trap moisture against the canal wall. That is a reliable recipe for blockage and irritation.
In-ear buds, musician’s plugs, and industrial defenders all block the canal’s natural outward movement of wax.
Healthy ears clean themselves, so there is no need for routine cleaning. Wax is protective, and removing it when there is no problem does more harm than good.
The sensible rule is to treat symptoms, not calendars. Book when hearing aids dull, pressure builds, or your hearing aid starts playing up.
Hearing aid users and people with naturally waxy ears often settle into a pattern of every six to twelve months. A few need it more often, and the pharmacist will tell you what is realistic for your ears.
Between appointments, leave cotton buds alone and use a few drops of olive oil weekly if you are prone to build-up.
Your appointment is carried out by our GPhC-registered superintendent pharmacist, with over 20 years of hands-on clinical experience behind every assessment.
We have looked after Ashford families for two decades, and our 4.8-star rating comes from patients who keep coming back.
One £59.00 fee covers both ears, and we drop to £25.00 if the examination shows there is no wax to remove.
We check your canal and eardrum before touching anything, so wax is confirmed as the cause and other problems are not missed.
Microsuction keeps your ear dry, which makes it suitable for patients that syringing would turn away.
We are at Unit 11, Littleton House, Littleton Road, with parking on site and quick access from Staines and Sunbury.
Travel clinic, vaccinations, weight management, B12 injections, and NHS services all sit under one roof.
We are a five-minute drive from most of the borough, and we deliver
prescriptions free of charge across TW15, TW16, TW17 and TW18.
Yes, but not quite in the way most people assume. Weight loss injections can help improve
Yes, physical activity is a crucial component of treatment from your very first dose. Regular movement
If you miss a dose of Mounjaro (tirzepatide), do not panic. In most cases, if it
Allow around 20 to 30 minutes. That covers your questions, the examination of both ears, the removal itself, and aftercare advice.
No referral is needed. You can book directly with us as a private patient, either online or by calling the pharmacy.
Yes. There is no sedation, no recovery time, and no water left in the ear, so you can carry on with your day normally.
Not usually. The pharmacist will examine you, treat the infection pathway first, and rebook your removal once the ear has settled.
We will clear what we safely can, then set you up with softening drops and a follow-up visit to finish the job properly.
Muffled hearing doesn’t have to linger for months. One appointment is typically sufficient. Book yours today.
We’re open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm, at Unit 11, Littleton House, Littleton Road, Ashford, Surrey TW15 1UU.
