Every shade of you

From the yellow of ear-wax to the bright blue of a bruise, our bodies produce an amazing rainbow of colours. Tanith Carey explains the fascinating hues inside us all

- Tanith Carey

Ear wax is an oily discharge produced to keep the ear moist and clean at the same time as keeping out water and preventing dust and bacteria.

When cerumen, the oily main ingredient, is produced by thousands of small glands hidden in the ear canal's outer walls, it starts off pale yellow. The wax then acts as a sticky trap for anything that enters the ear.

It then gets more orangey as it gets mixed with dust, dead skin cells and glandular secretions, says consultant ENT and facial plastic surgeon Anil Joshi.

Mr Joshi, who is based at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, says: "Ear wax protects the ear by trapping dust, debris, and microorganisms, preventing them from reaching the eardrum and causing infections. Lipids, like cholesterol and fatty acids, also contribute to the waxy consistency and the distinctive colour."

The shade can vary, adds Hannah Samuels, an audiologist at Boots Hearingcare.

She says: "Fresh earwax is often lighter in colour. Dark brown is a sign that the earwax has been in the ear for a while and has had time to dry.

"Green earwax can suggest an infection in the ear, especially if it comes with other symptoms like pain, itching, or discharge. The green shade comes from the presence of bacteria, or sometimes, the discharge from the infection."

Pus is made when white infection-fighting blood cells rush to the site of an infection.

Dr Ross Perry, founder of Cosmedics Skin Clinics, says: "The yellow pus in a spot is the result of your body's natural immune response to infection or inflammation.

"For example, when bacteria, commonly involved in acne, invades a clogged pore, the immune system sends white blood cells to the area to fight off the infection. As these white blood cells attack the bacteria, the immune cells and bacteria die, creating a thick fluid known as pus."

When they die, white blood cells release green-coloured enzymes, which gives the pus a yellow colour.