Sharp foreign objects often become “guests” of our skin. Splinters cause a lot of inconvenience and pain, and sometimes can lead to an abscess and even blood poisoning. The sooner the splinter is removed, the less problems there will be from it.
This is not always easy to do, but there are a number of ways that you can quickly pull out even the "deepest" foreign bodies.
Preparing for the "operation"
As soon as a splinter has entered the body, thoroughly rinse the damaged area. This is especially important if the injury was received while doing dirty work, for example, chopping wood, processing wood. Wipe the wound with alcohol. The fact is that the channels that leave the splinters are an ideal place for the development of bacteria that cause tetanus.
After processing, we proceed to the preparation of the tool.
To remove the splinter, you will need:
• manicure tweezers;
• small scissors;
• several cotton pads.
Metal objects are washed in soapy water, wiped dry, and then treated with alcohol. The cleaner the tool, the less likely it is to earn an abscess or blood poisoning.
Traditional Splinter Removal
If the tip of a splinter sticks out of the wound, then there will be no difficulties. With tweezers, we gently pry the foreign body, after which we pull it out of the channel. In the case when the splinter sits too deep, and its tip is not visible from the outside, then the wound will have to "expand". Scissors slightly cut the edge of the skin near the wound. This should be done with the very tip of the blade, without touching the soft tissue. As soon as the tip of the splinter appeared on the surface, we pull it out with tweezers.
Immediately after the completion of the "operation" follows:
• squeeze the wound with your fingers so that contaminated blood leaves it;
• wash hands thoroughly;
• treat the damaged area with alcohol or cologne.
If, after trying to incise the skin, the tip of the splinter still doesn’t appear, stop doing self-mutilation, consult a doctor.
Important! The chip should be removed at the angle at which it entered the body. This will facilitate the procedure and also prevent additional damage to the skin and soft tissues.
Alternative methods
These methods are suitable when there are no sharp objects at hand.
• Adheres to the affected area a piece of tapethen breaks off with a sharp movement. The technique is best suited for the extraction of small splinters. Please note that it is impossible to press the adhesive tape to the skin strongly - a foreign body can "enter" even deeper.
• If a child injured by a splinter does not allow himself to be pricked with scissors or a needle, dampen the damaged area with plenty PVA glue. After drying, remove it with one large layer, the splinter will go along with the frozen film. For deep splinters, the method does not work well.
• If the foreign body is deeply seated, and it is impossible to see a doctor, start lubricating the wound with iodine every three hours. The wooden splinter will “burn” itself, it will be enough to squeeze out its destroyed remains together with contaminated blood.
After removal of the splinter, signs of inflammation persist? It is worthwhile to see a doctor, since the foreign body was pulled out too late, infection began. You should not postpone going to the hospital, the consequences can be very serious!
