A splinter is a foreign body of small size, embedded in the thickness of the skin. It can be a sharp sliver, a plant spike, a thin piece of metal, a piece of glass, etc., which often fall under the skin during repair work, in the garden, while relaxing in nature. How to correctly, quickly and painlessly pull out a splinter, and why it should be done as soon as possible, you will learn further.
The danger of a splinter
In addition to soreness, swelling and redness of the skin, a splinter can cause suppuration. Particularly dangerous splinters on the fingers, often leading to the development of a panic - an acute purulent process in the finger tissues, which in the course of progressing can affect bone tissue.
If a splinter is obtained during field work, the risk of infection with tetanus is a potentially fatal infection, the causative agents of which are in large numbers in the soil.
Therefore, to tighten with the removal of splinters in any case it is impossible, but this process must be carried out correctly, following a number of rules.
Rules for removing a splinter
- It should be remembered that you can not remove the splinter with dirty hands, in poor visibility, without antiseptic agents and tools that can help remove a small foreign body.
- First of all, you should wash and dry your hands and treat the damaged area with an existing antiseptic solution - alcohol, vodka, hydrogen peroxide, cologne, etc. Dyeing agents (iodine, zelenok) to use before removing splinters is not recommended, as a result of this a splinter may become invisible.
- Trying to extract a splinter with your fingers can become not only useless, but also lead to an aggravation of the situation. As a result, the tip of the splinter sticking out above the surface of the skin can break off, and then pulling it out even using tools will be much more difficult.
- Also, you should not squeeze a splinter - this can lead to its splitting into smaller pieces or to even more of its introduction. Therefore, it is recommended to use tools (tweezers, needles, etc.) to remove the splinter, which must also be treated with an antiseptic, boiled or burned with a flame.
- After the splinter is pulled out, the affected area should be thoroughly disinfected, and in case of large damage after that you can use a bactericidal adhesive plaster.
Methods for removing a splinter
How to pull a shallow splinter without a needle?
A splinter that is clearly visible by the eye, the tip of which sticks out over the surface of the skin, can be pulled with tweezers. To do this, it is also recommended to use a magnifying glass to determine the size of the splinter and the angle at which it entered under the skin.
How to pull out a deep splinter?
In this case, you can use a thin sewing needle. To do this, the needle should be inserted under the skin, at the side of the outer end of the splinter, at a right angle to it. Then, without deepening the needle into the skin, you need to try to stick the tip of the needle into the splinter and pull it through the wound. If this does not work, you need to expose the tip of the splinter with a needle and grab it with tweezers.
How to pull a splinter under your fingernail?
Removal of splinters that fall under the nail, it is better to entrust the medical worker, tk. this is a rather complicated and painful manipulation. But if you can not see a doctor quickly, you can try to use the folk method:
- To do this, you need to steam out your finger in a hot tub prepared by adding a teaspoon of water and a teaspoon of salt and soda.
- Then you should apply a special compress to the nail for 4-5 hours, which will help to push out a splinter slightly, so that later it can be extracted with tweezers.
For the compress you can use:
- onion gruel;
- rastolchennye cabbage leaves, mixed with a small amount of alcohol;
- Birch tar;
- propolis .
How to pull a splinter from the heel?
A splinter from the heel should be pulled out, also previously steaming the skin in a soda-salt solution. Then you can use a needle or tweezers.