Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCheck for Signs InfectionWhat You Will NeedSteps to Remove a SplinterTips
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Check for Signs Infection
What You Will Need
Steps to Remove a Splinter
Tips
A splinter is a tinyimpaled objectthat can be removed at home without ever seeing a doctor. However, you shouldn’t ignore them. Splinters can becomeinfectedif left under the skin for too long.
Verywell / Gary Ferster
Check for Signs of Infection First
Look for these signs of infection before trying to remove a splinter:
If the splinter shows any signs it has become infected, see a doctor for removal.
The chances of a splinter becoming infected depend on what the splinter is: organic material — like animal spines or plant thorns — are more likely to cause infection or toxic reactions.
When you take a splinter out, make sure you get the whole thing. A splinter is usually a small piece of wood that broke into multiple parts, and it’s very easy to have more than one under the skin. A piece of a splinter left behind can become infected.
Assemble these items:
Usually, the pain of a splinter is more irritable than anything. However, if the area is very tender, try abee-stingswab to dull the pain.
Splinters under a fingernail (subungal splinters) may present a bigger problem. If the tip of the splinter cannot be reached with tweezers, you have the option of going to see a doctor or not. A doctor will be able to snip away the nail and pull the splinter out.
The other option is to keep the area clean and wait until natural nail growth pushes the splinter out. Watch the area closely for signs of infection.
Make sure the person with the splinter is up to date ontetanus vaccination. If not, have the doctor remove the splinter when going in to get the vaccination.
Finally, splinters will work out of the skin naturally and may not need to be removed.
There’s no need to hurry if you are away from home and don’t have the necessary clean supplies. Wait until the proper cleanliness can be achieved to remove splinters.
A Word from Verywell
If you have any concern that a large splinter might not have been completely removed, don’t be afraid to see a doctor. A splinter doesn’t need an emergency room, but it does need to come all the way out.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.How to remove a splinter (and when to call a doctor).Chan C, Salam GA.Splinter removal.Am Fam Physician.2003;67(12):2557-2562.American Academy of Dermatology Association.How to remove a splinter.Cleveland Clinic.Surprising ways you can get tetanus - not just from rusty nails.Additional ReadingSplinter Removal. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002137.htm.O’Connell RL, Fageir MM, Addison A.Be aware of wood in the knee.BMJ Case Reports. 2011;2011:bcr0720114551. doi:10.1136/bcr.07.2011.4551.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.How to remove a splinter (and when to call a doctor).Chan C, Salam GA.Splinter removal.Am Fam Physician.2003;67(12):2557-2562.American Academy of Dermatology Association.How to remove a splinter.Cleveland Clinic.Surprising ways you can get tetanus - not just from rusty nails.Additional ReadingSplinter Removal. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002137.htm.O’Connell RL, Fageir MM, Addison A.Be aware of wood in the knee.BMJ Case Reports. 2011;2011:bcr0720114551. doi:10.1136/bcr.07.2011.4551.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cleveland Clinic.How to remove a splinter (and when to call a doctor).Chan C, Salam GA.Splinter removal.Am Fam Physician.2003;67(12):2557-2562.American Academy of Dermatology Association.How to remove a splinter.Cleveland Clinic.Surprising ways you can get tetanus - not just from rusty nails.
Cleveland Clinic.How to remove a splinter (and when to call a doctor).
Chan C, Salam GA.Splinter removal.Am Fam Physician.2003;67(12):2557-2562.
American Academy of Dermatology Association.How to remove a splinter.
Cleveland Clinic.Surprising ways you can get tetanus - not just from rusty nails.
Splinter Removal. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002137.htm.O’Connell RL, Fageir MM, Addison A.Be aware of wood in the knee.BMJ Case Reports. 2011;2011:bcr0720114551. doi:10.1136/bcr.07.2011.4551.
O’Connell RL, Fageir MM, Addison A.Be aware of wood in the knee.BMJ Case Reports. 2011;2011:bcr0720114551. doi:10.1136/bcr.07.2011.4551.
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