How to Remove a Splinter?

A typical hazard of childhood (and adulthood) is the common splinter. Those who had parents with skilled hands were lucky; the splinter would be removed within seconds – no harm, no foul – and play could quickly resume. Those whose parents were not so deft had a completely different experience: first came the digging and scraping of skin with a sewing needle; then the realization that the splinter was still not exposed enough to remove; next came more digging followed by a painful excision that left a piece of splinter under swollen, reddened, and irritated skin. The final step was a cotton ball of skin-searing hydrogen peroxide, a bandage, and maybe a kiss to make it better.

When a foreign object enters your skin, your body recognizes it as such and retaliates. The surrounding skin becomes inflamed, reddened, and painful; if not removed, scar tissue can form around the object and lead to more intense pain. Even as adults, it is nearly impossible to avoid splinters; handling firewood in the winter, spreading mulch in the spring, or playing with your child year-round put you at just as much risk as the neighborhood kids. While your dermatologist is always available to do the job for you, there are ways to make the home-removal process less painful and more safe.

Soak the Splinter Site
Make your skin more supple by soaking it in warm water before you attempt to remove a splinter. If the area is too large, use a warm compress to achieve the same effect.

Assemble Your Toolkit
Use rubbing alcohol to sterilize a thin needle (such as a sewing needle or straight pin) and a pair of tweezers.

Prepare to Pull
Use the needle to make a small hole in the skin directly above the splinter. The goal is to make the splinter accessible. Once you can see the splinter sticking out, use the tweezers to grasp it as close to the skin as possible and pull in the direction that the splinter is sticking out. If you pull at any other angle, the splinter may break and leave a smaller, less accessible piece under the skin.

Protect It
Once the splinter has been successfully removed, wash the wound with soap and water. Apply Vaseline to the cleaned area to keep it moisturized then cover it with a bandage.

There are circumstances under which you should consult an expert. Splinters that are under nails, in hard to reach places, or impossible to remove on your own should be removed by a skilled professional. For splinter removal or any other dermatological malady, call any one of Derick Dermatology’s four locations. With offices in Arlington Heights, Barrington, Crystal Lake, and Elgin, there is no need to let a splinter spoil your fun.