Question: why does ear wax form?

Nathan Clarke answered on 20 Jun 2018:

Good question! Ear wax actually forms from modified sweat glands! The glands secrete a substance called cerumen, which gets mixed up with dead skin cells and general bits of dirt to make ear wax. The purpose of ear wax is to trap these bits of dirt and anything else that might end up in our ear canal. This will then be removed in time, as the skin on our eardrums grows outwards – like a conveyor belt moving items in a supermarket 🙂