SHARING earphones can make you more vulnerable to infections due to exchanging dead skin cells, bacteria and ear wax.
Associate professor of environmental health, Kelly Reynolds, revealed that introducing new bacteria to your ears could lead to an illness.
And to avoid this, earphones should be given a scrub down before and after someone else borrows them.
She said: "When you disinfect, make sure to clean any waxy residue off first, then wipe down the earbuds with a cotton ball dampened with disinfecting spray or rubbing alcohol."
Even if you are producing a bit too much of the orange stuff, despair not, although wax looks offensive it is actually harmless - if it's your own.
Research shows that most people's ears contain bacteria including pseudomonas, staphylococcus and strep, which usually does not cause any health problems.
But if the bacteria becomes too high or if new bacteria enters your ear it can cause an infection.
On top of this, earphones trap heat and moisture inside the ear which forms the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
Even if you are swapping ear pieces with a loved one, the exchange of ear bacteria creates a whole new problem to that of mouth bacteria.
If staph bacteria from the ear ends up in an open wound or exposed hair follicle a serious skin infection could occur.
Other undesired ear infections that could arise include: ear fungus, swimmer's ear, ear mites, pustules, blackheads and pimples.
Kelly added: “The good thing is that your ears aren’t really an entry site for illnesses like the flu, Norovirus, or common cold."
Although it is arduous, the solution is to either disinfect your earphones regularly or tell the borrower to go and buy their own.
Source: The Sun
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