Hearing loss has three main types and can potentially be reversed, depending on the type. Medical treatments may be available for your type of hearing loss, but no home remedy has been proven to help.

Hearing loss can be traumatic. Different people have different reactions to hearing loss. For many it can result in social, psychological, and physical problems. If you’re losing or have lost your hearing, it’s understandable to question whether you can reverse hearing loss.

In some cases, you can. We’ll tell you about the three main types of hearing loss and what, if anything, can be done to regain part or all of your hearing.

There are three main types of hearing loss:

  • sensorineural
  • conductive
  • mixed

Sensorineural hearing loss

Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss. It’s permanent loss caused by damage to your auditory nerve or the cilia, which are tiny hairlike cells in your inner ear. Meniere’s disease can cause sensorineural hearing loss.

Conductive hearing loss

Less common than sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss is caused by an obstruction or damage to your outer or middle ear that inhibits sound from being conducted to your inner ear.

With conductive hearing loss, your inner ear and auditory nerve are undamaged. Depending on the cause, conductive hearing loss can be temporary or permanent. Causes can run from wax impaction to a traumatic break in the connection between the bones of the middle ear.

Mixed hearing loss

Sometimes hearing loss can be the result of a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss. For example, your sensorineural hearing loss might be complicated by wax impaction. This is called mixed hearing loss.

Reversing sensorineural hearing loss

Once damaged, your auditory nerve and cilia cannot be repaired. But, depending on the severity of the damage, sensorineural hearing loss has been successfully treated with hearing aids or cochlear implants. There is, however, the possibility that your hearing loss isn’t reversible.

Cochlear implants

A cochlear implant bypasses the injured or damaged portion of the auditory system and directly stimulates your auditory nerve. With a cochlear implant, many people — even those with severe sensorineural hearing loss — have been able to improve their hearing.

Reversing conductive hearing loss

Depending on the nature and extent of the problem, people with conductive hearing loss can get some or even most of their hearing back. However, not everyone can reverse or regain their hearing loss.

Blockage removal

Often, hearing can be fully restored by addressing what may be causing blockages, such as:

Wax and foreign objects can be removed, sometimes noninvasively. Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics. Growths can be surgically removed.

Other treatments

Your doctor might not be able to medically restore your hearing if you have conductive hearing loss caused by abnormalities such as:

  • stenosis of the ear canal, which is when your ear canal is abnormally narrow
  • exostoses, or the thickening of the bone surrounding your ear canal
  • otosclerosis, the abnormal bone growth around the stapes bone in your middle ear
  • ossicular chain discontinuity, or the abnormal separation of the middle ear bones: malleus, incus, and stapes

Although the medical options are limited, your doctor might offer solutions such as:

  • traditional hearing aids
  • bone-conduction hearing aids
  • bone-anchored implantable devices
  • middle ear implants

Reversing mixed hearing loss

For mixed hearing loss, treatment decisions will be made based on the specific sensorineural and conductive hearing loss conditions you’re dealing with. Your doctor might recommend treating either the sensorineural or conductive hearing loss or both.

Hearing loss has three main types and can potentially be reversed. The first step in investigating a treatment to restore your hearing is to speak with your doctor. They might suggest you meet with an otolaryngologist (ENT) who specializes in the ear, nose, throat, and neck.

Your doctor or your ENT can diagnose what kind of hearing loss you have. They can give you suggestions for effective treatment options for your condition. If you decide to try a home remedy to reverse hearing loss naturally, you should discuss it with your doctor to make sure it’s appropriate for you.

If your hearing loss is irreversible, you can find support from resources for the hearing impaired and deaf communities.