Remove a Splinter

Splinters come in all shapes and sizes. They all hurt, though! Ironically, it's usually the smallest splinters that cause the most grief and pain, because they're difficult to remove. Fortunately, there are many different ways to kick that splinter out of your epidermis.

Steps

 * 1) Do not apply pressure. Don't even squeeze it to try and get it out. If it's sharp, you could be embedding it further into your skin by squeezing; if it's brittle, you might break it into smaller pieces.
 * 2) Wash and dry the spot with soap and water. Be gentle. Pat dry (a paper towel is good for absorbing moisture without having to apply much pressure). You don't want the skin (or the splinter, if it's wood) to get soggy.
 * 3) Inspect it with a magnifying glass. The size of the splinter and how it's angled in your skin will help you know what's the best way to take it out.
 * 4) Remove the splinter using one or a combination of the methods below.
 * 5) Clean the area that you removed the splinter from. Apply antibacterial ointment and a bandaid until it heals. Watch for signs of infection (redness, swelling, pus).

Drawing Salve Method
This method is painless and take about one day. Purchase Ichthammol ointment (also known as black drawing salve) over the counter at a pharmacy. They may not have it out on the shelves but if you ask the pharmacist they usually have it in the pharmacy. You do not need a prescription. Put a small amount of the salve on the splinter and put a bandaide over the salve. In a day remove the bandaide and the splinter will usually be drawn out of your skin into the bandaide. (Be careful not to get the salve on anything as it is very greasy and can stain. The salve has somewhat of an unpleasant odor - similar to a car rear end grease).

Baking Soda Method
This method is best for tiny, invisible splinters. The baking soda paste will cause the skin to swell and push the splinter out. It's best used after other methods, since it will make the other methods (tape, tweezer, needle) more difficult because your skin will be swollen.
 * 1) See How to Remove a Splinter with Baking Soda

Tape Method

 * 1) Place sticky tape gently on the splinter site.
 * 2) Pull it off in the opposite direction that the splinter went in. (If you look at the tweezer illustration below, the direction in which the tweezers are pulling is the direction you want to pull the tape as well.)

Tweezer Method
This is the method people are most familiar with. It works best if you can see the splinter, and part of it is protruding from the skin.
 * 1) Sterilize the tip of the tweezers with rubbing alcohol.
 * 2) Hold a magnifying glass up the splinter and find the part that's sticking out. Make sure there's good lighting. If it's sticking up (or up at an angle), go to the next step. If it's leaning horizontally (laying down) against the skin, however, don't use this method. You might break the splinter when you try to grab it with the tweezers because of its angle in your skin. Use a needle or nail clippers.
 * 3) Grab the tip of the splinter with the tweezers. Make sure not to grab any hair or skin. Having someone else hold the magnifying glass helps. Don't try to squeeze the splinter to push it further out; you'll tighten your skin's grip on the embedded end and it might break. If you can't grab it without squeezing your skin, try another method.
 * 4) Pull the splinter out in the direction it went into the skin. For example, if it went in a little sideways, don't pull it straight up or else it'll probably break.

Needle Method
Use this method if there's a soft, thin layer of skin over the splinter. This is common if the skin starts to heal over the splinter before you get a chance to take it out. It's not a good method if the splinter is deep or the layer of skin is thick (like on the heel your foot).
 * 1) Sterilize the tip of the needle with rubbing alcohol.
 * 2) Find the part where the splinter entered the skin.
 * 3) Stick the needle in ever so slightly.
 * 4) Apply upwards pressure, using the tip of the needle to open the skin right above the splinter. Go a little further, with an upward scraping motion.
 * 5) Pull the skin apart gently and you should be able to see the splinter.
 * 6) Use tweezers to pull it out, if the end is sticking out. Otherwise, you might have to use the needle to gently nudge it out. Get the tip of the needle underneath the splinter and nudge it up very gently. You don't want it to break in your skin. If it does, use the baking soda method immediately to extract it.
 * 7) *This step requires very steady hands and very good vision.

Nail Clipper/Razor Blade Method
This is the method to use if you have a splinter buried under thick skin that's not very sensitive, like the heel of your foot or the pads of your fingers (if you have thick skin there).
 * 1) Sterilize the sharp edge(s) with rubbing alcohol.
 * 2) Clip away the excess skin above the splinter with the nail clippers, or use the razor in a similar manner as the needle (cut parallel to the splinter). It shouldn't hurt; it should feel the same way as it does to cut your cuticles.
 * 3) Pull the skin apart gently and you should be able to see the splinter.
 * 4) Use tweezers to pull it out, if the end is sticking out. Otherwise, you might have to use the needle to gently nudge it out. Get the tip of the needle underneath the splinter and nudge it up very gently. You don't want it to break in your skin. If it does, use the baking soda method immediately to extract it.

Potato Method

 * 1) Cut a potato in slices
 * 2) Place a slice on the splinter (yellowish side down)
 * 3) Hold it there for a while and it will get the splinter right out

Tips

 * Don't forget that most small splinters will work their way out of the skin on their own in a few days or a week. Sometimes it's simpler and less harmful to just let your body heal itself. Watch for any sign of infection, though; while unlikely, it is possible.


 * To numb the site before pulling out the splinter, put ice around the splinter (but not on it) or briefly put the spot in ice water (but not long enough to make the skin wrinkly). Again, make sure the spot is dry; it'll be harder to use some of the methods if the skin or splinter is moist.

Warnings

 * Be diligent about keeping the splinter site - and anything you put into it - very clean. A splinter is bad enough; you don't need to follow up with an infection.
 * If the splinter is on your eye, have a medical professional take a look at it. Don't do it yourself.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Remove a Splinter with Baking Soda
 * How to Treat a Burn
 * How to Attend to a Stab Wound
 * How to Remove a Splinter Under Your Fingernail