How to remove splinters?

[usmcveteran]

Got this yesterday from floor joist. Hurts pretty bad and got parts of it out yesterday but it breaks apart. Looks infected at this point.

Any tips of getting it out? I tried taking Epson salt and adding water to make paste and put over it and cover with bandaid but it didn't help draw it to surface.

What do you got before I consider going to see doctor becuase its right at joint.

[dwa12479]

You could....

1) Try using tweezers not to pull it out, but to push it out from the very bottom. Work it toward the surface little by little. If it's gotten really soft this won't work very well though. This is more for metal splinters.

2) I've used brand new razor blades plenty of times to carefully slice the skin open and dig it out that way. Not for the faint of heart. That one in the pic doesn't look too deep, should be able to get it out I would think.

3) Soak your hand in white vinegar, supposedly it will raise the splinter to the surface. I've never tried this, but I think it's mostly an old wives tale like "always wait 30 min before swimming after you eat or you'll get cramps and drown"

4) Amputate the finger and cauterize it immediately.

Once that's all done, you can hire SWilliams to finish your home improvements. LOL

[Cgrutt]

I think you need to give the Epsom Salts a few days to work its magic. Put a pinch on a bandaid and cover it. It should draw enough to surface after about 2-3 days to remove it with a tweezer. Ichthammol ointment (drawing salve) does the same thing. I normally just dig it out with a needle and have used razors for deeper splinters too. Too impatient to wait a few days lol. Not to be gross but if it starts to get infected, you can usually just squeeze it out.

Or you can go to the doctor, LOL...

[thughes]

Amputate the finger and cauterize it immediately.

Once that's all done, you can hire SWilliams to finish your home improvements. LOL

US Marine......pffftttt!

[usmcveteran]

Tried pushing it out after it happened, opened up skin as well, tried getting out with tweezers but it kept breaking off bits. I think it's a pretty big piece going pretty deep.

Maybe tonight I'll try to get it out again with the puss as lube lol

[Cgrutt]

Used to cut a lot of lawns as a kid. I still remember brushing up against a neighbor's rose bush and caught a long skinny thorn in the top of my finger. Hurt like hell but didn't see anything there so just forgot about it. I was in school a few days later and it still hurt pretty bad so I was squeezing my finger during class. A huge (about 1/2" - 3/4") thorn popped straight out of the top of my finger. I was completely shocked and a bit startled, lol...

[big flash]

I used to work in a lumber yard where I did a lot with my hands. I used tweezers most nights to get out what I could.
the rest worked themselves out eventually with enough booze in my tummy.

if you do the razor or needle, i always heat it up on an open flame to sterilize first. not sure if that really works though, might be better with rubbing alcohol or something.

But if it gets infected and you can't get ahead of the infection, get to an urgent care and get antibiotics, you don't want to be messing around with that.
i almost lost my leg to staph infection that went septic.

[dwa12479]

Tried pushing it out after it happened, opened up skin as well, tried getting out with tweezers but it kept breaking off bits. I think it's a pretty big piece going pretty deep.

Maybe tonight I'll try to get it out again with the puss as lube lol

It's getting closer...........

[Hunter]

dump alcohol on it and dig in next to it, you'll get it.

[Meketrefe]

try this...
soak the finger in water for a while or simply wrap the finger in a small piece of wet water towel.
Heat a sewing needle with a lighter or simply moist with alcohol for disinfection.
What you want is to dig the skin right above the thorn. Normally they go in in an angle so right above
the hole/splinter you want to catch the epidermis and pull up so you make that whole just a tad larger.
once you have a bit more room put the tip of the needle below the splinter and pull up a tad. See if it
moves w/o bending or breaking. Alternate with some pressure as squeezing a pinple to see if it comes out
a bit. At some point you might have enough showing that you might be able to catch it with twizers.
Alternatively wrap the area with some duck tape and leave it on. for a couple of days. can put a bit
of iodine before the tape. The whole idea is that the skin softens to a point the skin starts pushing everything
out including the splinter. you might see some oozing too. that is ok.

[Tony]

Dig it out and don't stop until you have it all. Wash out crater with peroxide. Apply bacitracin ointment and put a band-aid (flexible fabric type). You're good to go...

[Hunter]

If nothing else works soak it in cider.

[usmcveteran]

After keeping it covered in bandaid and Epson salt I gave it a try and just squeezed and it came out! Went about 3rd of way through finger!

[masterswimmer]

Man up buddy! Story........

It's 1977, my freshman year in college. Had a pencil in my pocket (get your minds out of the gutter, not THAT kind of pencil). I didn't want the pencil to make a hole in the pocket so I put it in there point up. Forgot about it when I reached in and skewered my finger. I used tweezers and needles and dug out the what I thought was the entire pencil point. Needless to say there was a fair amount of blood. So after a few days the wound scabbed over. Never saw or felt the remaining piece of graphite in my finger when it finally healed. Didn't want to bother digging it out. Didn't go to a doctor. Fast forward 39 years and it's still there. I'm a little concerned it might get infected so maybe I'll go to the doctor tomorrow


graphite point.jpg

[usmcveteran]

I have that too from grade school lol, its not in there anymore, your body broke it down and now its basically an internal tattoo.

I asked my doctor about it years later lol