Splinter

What is a splinter?

A splinter is a sharp piece of wood, glass, metal, plastic, or other hard material that has been driven into the body.

How is it treated?

The care of a splinter depends on the size of the splinter, where it came from (some place clean or dirty), and where it is in your body. Small splinters in the skin, fingernails, or toenails can be painful, but they can usually be removed at home. Often you can use tweezers to remove a small splinter that has an end sticking out as follows:

1. First wash your hands and the skin over the splinter with soap and water. Clean the tweezers by wiping them with rubbing alcohol.
2. Carefully grasp the end of the splinter that is sticking out and pull it out.
3. Clean the wound carefully after removing the splinter. Wash it with warm soapy water and rinse it well.
4. Dry the skin and put a topical antibiotic on the wound.
5. Cover the wound with a bandage.

It is best to have large or deep splinters, or splinters in the eye or mouth, removed by your healthcare provider.

Some plants have spines, needles, or thorns that can get embedded in the skin. Remove these the same way you would remove a splinter. Very small spines may be hard to see. You may be able to get them out by putting tape over the area and then pulling the tape off. The tape will pull out many of the very small needles with it. You might also use rubber cement or white glue. Put it on the skin and allow it to dry. Peel the dried glue off the skin. It will take away many of the small spines with it.

When should I call my healthcare provider?

Call your provider when you have a splinter if:

• The splinter is deeper than you can easily remove.
• The splinter is large.
• The splinter is in or close to the eye or mouth.
• The wound is likely to get infected (a dirty wound).
• You need a tetanus shot.
• You have diabetes or other chronic medical condition that increases your risk of infection.

If the wound is dirty or involves rusty metal and it has been more than 5 years since your last tetanus booster shot, or if you don’t know when you had your last booster, get another shot within 3 days of getting hurt. Try to get the shot the same day as the injury if possible. If you cannot get the shot within 3 days of the injury, get it as soon as you can.

Call your provider after you have removed a splinter if:

• You cannot stop the bleeding after the splinter is removed.
• You have redness, increased pain, increased swelling, pus draining from the wound, or red streaks moving from the wound toward the body.
• You have sore lymph nodes in an area near the wound.