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How To Remove A Splinter That Is Not Visible?

As the summer season warms up, families have more fun outside, like visiting the lake and relaxing outdoors. As a result of all the relaxation time, you or a family member could sustain minor injuries such as splinters. While splinters aren't particularly severe, they hurt and can be very irritating. If you have a splinter, you should extract it as quickly as possible to minimize the chances of getting an infection. But how can you get rid of a splinter without further injuring yourself?

In this article, we'll go through how to extract a splinter without suffering and how to avert splinter infections.

But before that, here's what you shouldn't do when extracting a splinter. Please don't attempt to squeeze it out. You run the risk of breaking the splinter into pieces, making it more challenging to extract. Additionally, it's advisable to avoid attempting to remove certain types of splinters by yourself. If the splinter is big, located deep, infected, or close to your eye, it will almost certainly need medical attention. Splinters that penetrate the skin are infamously challenging to extract on your own. Schedule a meeting at your nearest urgent care facility if you experience any of the following, and they'll take care of it.

Ways of Extracting a Splinter

  1. Use a Needle and Tweezers

Most splinters can be removed at the comfort of your home using a needle and tweezers. First, clean the affected area with water and soap and your needle and tweezers with rubbing alcohol. Then inspect the puncture wound to determine which way the splinter penetrated the skin and if any part of it is protruding out. A magnifying glass comes in handy here and is a valuable item to have stashed in your wood splinter removal kit. If a part of the splinter is noticeable, pluck it out with the tweezers.

However, if the whole splinter is inside the skin, you'll require that tiny needle. Tenderly penetrate the skin's surface at the splinter's end. Continue gently pulling out a portion of the splinter till you see the head, then extract it with your tweezers. After that, clean the affected area again, apply jelly, and cover it with a bandage till it heals.

  1. Immerse in Epsom salts

Epsom salts can is good for treating a variety of ailments, including sore muscles and sunburns. However, one of its unknown applications is bringing deep-seated splinters to the skin's surface. For this procedure, dissolve a cup of the Epsom salts in a warm bath and immerse the affected body part in the solution. Additionally, you can add some salt to a dressing pad and cover it for a day to bring the lodged splinter to the skin's surface. Both approaches assist in drawing out the splinter, which you can then remove using a tweezer.

  1. Use Baking Soda Paste

 

Start by cleaning the afflicted area with water and soap. Then mix a little water and a quarter spoonful of baking soda to generate a paste, which you can then apply to the affected area. After spreading the paste, bandage the area and leave it in that state for the next 24 hours.

You should now see the embedded splinter has pulled itself to the skin's surface, and you can now easily extract it. However, if it's still out of your reach, repeat the process till the lodged splinter is sufficiently elevated above the skin.

  1. Use Tape

This procedure is ideal when the splinter is already near the surface and tweezers aren't helping. Wrap some tape over the splinter, preferably use something somewhat stronger, for instance, duct tape. Once the tape is firm, leave it for a couple of minutes, then remove it gently. You may have to do this a couple of times to get the splinter out. For added safety, soak the region in warm water beforehand to loosen the skin.

  1. Utilize Vinegar or Oil

 

Another simple technique to remove that persistent splinter is soaking the injured region in oil, either corn or olive or white vinegar. Pour some into a dish, soak the affected area for 30 minutes, and examine where the splinter is. If it appears to be getting closer to the skin's surface but not adequately to extract it, soak it longer. Once it has gotten far enough out, remove it and cleanse the region with water and soap.

  1. Try Banana Peels

 

Besides polishing your shoes and whitening your teeth, banana peels can also help you get rid of splinters. Cut a piece of ripe banana peel and tape the interior part over the affected region. The enzymes inside the banana peel will then begin to loosen your skin and assist the splinter in drawing closer to the surface.

Some believe it requires only a few minutes; however, you'll have a higher chance of finding the embedded splinter if you let it stay on longer, particularly overnight. Once you detach the banana peel, it may be stretched out far enough and come out voluntarily, while on other occasions, you will have to complete the task using tweezers. If it fails to yield results after one night, change the peel and try the next day again. 

The Bottom Line

 

Extracting a splinter doesn't have to be an agonizing procedure. Depending on the location of the splinter, you might be able to extract it out on your own. However, if you're worried about the wound or think it's infected, visit a doctor.

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