A frantic search in your old wooden cabinet, walking barefoot on the grass, and moving your old furniture are simple tasks that are part of your everyday life.
These can be accompanied by a small sliver of glass or wood penetrating and lodging itself underneath your skin. Refusing to budge out from your skin, splinters can annoy you and inflict a surprising amount of pain in some cases.
Splinters are small fragments of foreign bodies such as wood, metal, or glass that can pierce and get lodged in the subcutaneous tissue of your skin.
Besides being painful, splinters are foreign bodies that can pave the way for the microbial intrusion, which can result in inflammation and infection characterized by redness and swelling in the affected area.
To avoid further damage, splinters should be removed carefully as soon as possible. While inorganic matter such as plastic, glass, and metal can be removed in a less limited time frame, organic vegetative matter such as wood, plant and animal spines, cactus, and rose thorns need to be dealt with immediately.
# Stick Duct TapeOne of the most conventional methods to remove a splinter is using duct tape. This simple remedy works best for splinters that are partly sticking out of the skin.
- Use lukewarm water and an antiseptic soap to wash the skin around the splinter. Allow your skin to dry.
- Put a piece of duct tape over the splinter area.
- Gently rub over the top of the tape using your fingertip.
- Wait for 5 minutes, and then pull off the tape in just one smooth motion in the direction opposite to that of the splinter. The splinter will come out with the duct tape.
- Finish by cleaning the area with lukewarm water.
# Pull Out Your Splinter with a Medicine SyringeUsing a medicine syringe is an easy life hack for painless splinter removal, particularly for your kids. The syringe is likely to pull out the splinter effortlessly in one go without any pain.
- Grab a pediatric medicine syringe (e.g., Calpol syringe)
- Place the syringe over the surface of the splinter such that the small hole at the bottom of the syringe covers it properly.
- Make sure there are no gaps.
- Pull the syringe quickly once you are sure about the setting.
- The quick pull of the syringe will suck the splinter out.
# Apply White VinegarThe acidic nature of vinegar will cause the splinter to break through the surface of the skin, enabling an easy splinter removal.
- Pour some white vinegar into a small bowl.
- Soak the affected area in it for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Check whether the splinter has risen sufficiently out of the skin’s surface. If so, pull it out using a sterilized tweezer. If not, continue soaking it until it rises to the surface.
- After you’ve removed the splinter, rinse the skin thoroughly with lukewarm water.
# Smear Baking Soda PasteBaking soda is an excellent remedy for both splinters that are superficial and splinters that are embedded in the skin.
Baking soda causes the skin to swell. This pushes the splinter out to the surface, so you can easily pull it out with a pair of sterilized tweezers.
- Mix a small amount of water and 1 tablespoon of baking soda to form a thick paste.
- Smear the baking soda paste on the affected area. Place a Band-Aid on the site.
- After 24 hours, remove the Band-Aid.
- If the splinter is visible, pull it out with a sterilized tweezer. If not, repeat the method with fresh baking soda paste and another Band-Aid.
- After you’ve removed the splinter, rinse the skin gently with lukewarm water.
# Soak in Hydrogen PeroxideHydrogen peroxide is a disinfecting agent. The application of hydrogen peroxide can cause swelling and allow the splinter to come out to the surface.It is mostly used for removing splinters in the hands and feet.
- Soak a cotton ball in 3% hydrogen peroxide.
- Place the cotton ball on the affected area and secure it in place with tape.
- Leave it on for a couple of hours.
- Remove the cotton ball and carefully pull out the splinter with a pair of clean sterilized tweezers.
- Finally, rinse the area thoroughly with lukewarm water.