Splinters Treatment

Self-Care at Home

How to remove a splinter

• Using a pair of tweezers, grab the protruding end of the splinter and pull it out along the direction it entered. Wash the area with soap and water.

• At times, splinters may be fully embedded in the skin. Use a small needle cleaned in alcohol. Also, clean the skin with an antiseptic (examples are Betadine or alcohol). Use the needle to gently and partially dislodge the splinter, which may then be removed fully with tweezers. Wash the area with soap and water.

• Soak the area in warm water with a tablespoon of baking soda added. Do this twice a day. The splinter may work its way out after a few days.

• If a splinter appears to be too deep to attempt removal at home, see your doctor. If you have only been able to remove a portion of the splinter and foreign material remains embedded in the skin, the doctor should be able to remove the rest.