Subans often occur in children and adults. A splinter can cause painful irritation and sometimes infection. The most common types of splinter are wood, glass, or metal chips. Some types of splinter can be removed on their own with simple tools or compounds, but deep splinter requires special techniques or medical assistance.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Removing Inner Tits with Tools
Step 1. Try using tweezers
If any part of the splinter is visible on the surface of the skin, try removing it with tweezers. Choose tweezers with jagged inner edges. Pinch the end of the splinter firmly, and pull it gently.
- Sterilize tweezers before use. Wipe with rubbing alcohol or vinegar, soak in water for a few minutes, or heat over high heat for about a minute.
- Wash your hands before removing the splinter.
Step 2. Use a nail clipper for thick splinter
If the splinter is thick and doesn't seem to break easily, an option other than tweezers is a nail clipper. If the splinter goes into thick skin at an extreme angle, trim the outer skin a little so that the splinter is visible and easy to access. You won't feel pain when cutting into areas of skin that are thick and insensitive, such as the heels.
- Cut the skin in a direction parallel to the splinter.
- Don't cut so deep that it bleeds. Wounds will increase the risk of infection.
- When using a nail clipper or tweezers, use your dominant hand whenever possible (this won't work if the splinter is in your dominant hand). So you will be more agile and in control.
Step 3. Use a needle to loosen the splinter
For splinter that enters the skin surface, puncture the skin with a sterile needle to attach some of the splinter to the skin surface. Puncture the skin right at the end of the splinter that is closest to the surface of the skin. Try lifting the splinter with the tip of the needle so that the rest can be clipped off with tweezers or a nail clipper.
Do not try to remove the splinter with just a needle as this will only cause injury and possibly break the splinter
Step 4. Consider a drawing salve
Pulling ointments are a type of disinfectant that help remove splinter by lubricating and pushing it "out" of the skin. Apply a pulling ointment on the wound, and wait a few days for the splinter to come out. Meanwhile, cover the wound with a bandage. Here you need patience to wait.
- One of the most well-known brands is Ichthammol (black pulling ointment), which can be purchased without a prescription at pharmacies.
- Towing ointments are usually oily and smell bad.
- In most cases, the ointment will only bring the splinter to the surface of the skin. You still have to remove it with tweezers.
Step 5. Try applying baking soda to the wound
Baking soda is not only a great disinfectant, it also reduces bleeding and helps pull the splinter closer to the surface of the skin. If the splinter is made of glass, metal, or plastic shards, soak the affected area in a bowl of warm water mixed with a few tablespoons of baking soda for an hour. If the splinter is made of wood chips, make a thick paste of baking soda with water and apply it to the wound. Cover with a bandage overnight.
You will need to use tweezers or a nail clipper to remove the splinter from the surface of the skin
Method 2 of 4: Caring for Scars
Step 1. Stop the bleeding
If the wound bleeds after the splinter is removed, press it with a clean cotton ball. Hold for a few minutes or wait for the bleeding to stop.
Step 2. Clean the punctured area with a disinfectant
After the splinter is removed, clean the small wound caused by the puncture. Wash with warm water and soap, then dry with a clean towel and wipe with an alcohol swab. Alcohol is a great disinfectant, but you can also use vinegar, iodine, and hydrogen peroxide.
- If you don't have a special alcohol swab, take a clean cotton swab or cotton swab and moisten it with liquid alcohol.
- It may sting, but only for a moment.
Step 3. Apply an antibiotic ointment
Antibiotic ointments such as Neosporin can help prevent infection. Apply a small amount on the cleaned wound. You can buy an antibiotic cream or ointment at most drugstores or pharmacies.
Step 4. Bandage the wound
After the wound is cleaned and disinfected, let it dry on its own. Cover it with a small bandage to protect it from dirt and irritation. The bandage can be removed after a day or two.
Method 3 of 4: Taking Cautious Action
Step 1. Don't squeeze the splinter
This may be your first instinct, but don't squeeze an area of skin with your fingers in an attempt to push the splinter out. This method almost never works and can actually break the splinter and cause unnecessary injury.
Step 2. Dry the slate area
If the splinter is wood chips, don't wet it. The splinter may break when pulled, leaving a small patch of skin behind.
Step 3. Remove the splinter with clean hands
Avoid infection in small wounds. In addition to sterilizing the tools used, you should also wash your hands with soap and water before touching the shriveled area. Wash your hands for at least 30 seconds with antibacterial soap, and rinse thoroughly.
Step 4. Remove the splinter completely
Make sure the splinter is not broken or there are parts left in the skin because this will increase the risk of infection. Make sure you remove the splinter at the same angle as it entered to reduce the risk of fracture. The splinter rarely enters the skin at a 90° angle.
Step 5. Watch for signs of infection
Infection can develop from any type of splinter, in all areas, and at all depths. So, pay attention to whatever happens for a few days after the splinter is removed. Common signs of infection are swelling, redness, pain, pus, numbness, and tingling around the wound.
Serious signs that the infection may have spread throughout the body are fever, nausea, night sweats, body aches, headache, and delirium. Seek medical help immediately
Method 4 of 4: Knowing When to Seek Medical Help
Step 1. Seek medical help if home methods don't work
If you've tried several methods at home and it doesn't work, see a doctor so that the splinter can be removed. Don't let the splinter stay in the skin.
If the splinter breaks or crumbles under the skin, see a doctor to remove the remnants
Step 2. Get professional help for deep or bleeding wounds
If the splinter causes a significant sore that won't stop bleeding after 5 minutes of pressure, see a doctor. Maybe the doctor will have to remove the splinter with a special tool.
- If the splinter has to be removed with a scalpel, the doctor will first numb the area with a topical anesthetic.
- Large wounds may need stitches to close after the splinter is removed.
Step 3. See a medical professional to remove the splinter under the nail
If the splinter gets under your fingernails or toenails, you probably won't be able to get it out yourself. If you try, maybe the results will get worse. The doctor can safely remove the nail to remove the splinter.
Nails will grow back normally after that
Step 4. Seek emergency medical attention for splinter in or near the eye
If anything gets into the eye, bandage the eye and call emergency services right away. Do not try to remove it yourself as there is a risk of damaging the eye and affecting vision. Try to close both eyes until help arrives so you don't move the affected eye as much.
Tips
- Tissue from wood, thorns, bone, and other plant substances can cause more irritation and inflammation than sash from glass, metal, and plastic.
- Use a magnifying glass if the splinter is very small and you can hardly see it. Ask a friend or family member to hold up the magnifying glass if you're having trouble.
