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A comment on Poor evidence that Q-tips are harmful. Parent comment

Re:Poor evidence that Q-tips are harmful by rozab on Tuesday December 08, 2020 @07:41PM (#25353754)
South-East Asians have 'dry' earwax, as determined by the ABCC11 gene. This is the same gene that makes their sweat have no odour. Just because Vietnamese people go around with sweaty shirts, doesn't necessarily mean you should... And just because they get their ears cleaned, doesn't mean you should.

The Wikipedia article for ear picks implies that it is necessary because of the dry earwax type. The source says:

> Dry wax, most common in Orientals and Native Americans, is gray and dry. It is flaky and may form a thin mass that lies in the ear canal.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABCC11

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_pick

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Re:Poor evidence that Q-tips are harmful by latchkey on Tuesday December 08, 2020 @11:08PM (#25355235)
After living in Vietnam for 4 years, I can guarantee that at least some of them have odor.

I have quite clean ears already, but usually what I see removed (they put it on the back of your hand usually) is flaky dry skin. That said, I go for the eargasm experience more than the ear cleaning itself. It is a nice relaxing thing for me and fits into the culture of grooming there.

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