How to quickly draw out even deep splinters without a needle, pain, or trip to the doctor even if they have been embedded for some time. One minute video demonstration included.
A splinter is a fragment of any foreign object that penetrates and becomes lodged inside one’s body. While splinters can come from a variety of materials such as glass, plastic, metal or even the spines of animals, for most people, splinters commonly occur on the fingers and hands from handling some type of plant matter such as a piece of wood.
When one experiences a splinter, pain as the sharp object initially penetrates the skin is usually felt. This is because the object has cut through the cutaneous layer of skin, settling into the subcutaneous layer below. While some splinters stay put at that point, most others will continue to move around, damaging additional tissue in the process.
Splinters that become lodged in the fingers or hand as would happen while doing yard work are usually very easy to remove with a simple needle that has been properly cleaned with alcohol first.
The Problem with Removing Splinters with Needles
The problem with this approach is that children don’t like it as picking at a splinter with a pointy object can sometimes hurt until part of the splinter is exposed and the rest pulled out with a pair of tweezers or a piece of tape.
The second problem with the needle approach is that it doesn’t always work if the splinter is very deep or quite thin and hard to see.
This happened to my husband recently when he got a thorn that was about an inch long deeply lodged in his left index finger while doing some yard work.
No matter how hard he tried to dig that thorn out with the traditional needle approach, he could not even find it let alone remove it.
It was just too deep.
At first, he figured the splinter would naturally work its way out. Splinters sometimes do this – the skin “pushes” them to the surface of the skin where they are easily removed a short time later with tweezers or your fingers.
That didn’t happen with this splinter. Waiting a few days made the situation much worse as the finger got very sore and began to swell.
Going to a Doctor Instead is Expensive
I became very concerned at that point because the finger was obviously infected. I suggested a trip to the doctor, but my husband wasn’t keen on that idea as the (out of network) holistic family doctor we called said it would cost $500 for the office required consultation and subsequent removal of the splinter.
$500 to remove a splinter? Unbelievable!
My husband then had the bright idea to ask his friend who is a veterinarian about the situation.
How to Remove a Splinter at Home with No Needles
The veterinarian said that removing even a deep splinter is easy with magnesium sulfate, better known as Epsom salts. Many people are familiar with an Epsom salt bath for sore muscles or to improve sleep.
This remedy uses Epsom salt in another hugely beneficial way – to draw toxins even a splinter right out of the skin. (1)
The veterinarian said you could either soak the finger a few times a day in a cup of warm water and Epsom salts or make a poultice with it. The poultice is much faster and more effective, however.
Such a method is supported in the scientific literature and very safe as well. (2)
Epsom Salts – How to Draw Out a Splinter
My husband decided to go with the poultice route. He took a small pinch of Epsom salts, placed it on the bandage section of a regular, large band-aid and wrapped the finger with it. He changed the bandage once a day or after it got wet in the shower.
Another option is to put a bit of magnesium sulfate paste (which costs just a few dollars) on the area and cover with a bandage. Magnesium sulfate is the same thing as Epsom salt.
This one minute video demonstrates the easy process. Be sure to clean the area well and use established first aid methods before and after the splinter is out of the skin. (3)
How Long Does it Take?
Within 2 days, it was apparent that the Epsom salts poultice had worked! The end of that thorn was ever so slightly sticking through the skin!
My husband pulled about 1/3″ of thorn out, but he could tell there was still more in there.
He continued to apply the Epsom salts poultice for one more day which caused the rest of the thorn to come to the surface of the skin as well. He used tweezers to pull the rest of the thorn out, which turned out to be about another 1/2″ in length.
Best of all, the swelling and soreness of the finger quickly resolved with the removal of the thorn. It has been a couple of months since this happened and the finger is perfectly fine.
Keep Magnesium Sulfate on Hand
I will be using the Epsom salts or magnesium sulfate paste on a bandage approach to remove all splinters that occur in our household from now on. I’ve purchased a small bottle of the magnesium sulfate paste, and it is now a permanent part of my medicine cabinet.
This approach suggested by our veterinary friend is far easier than using needles or enduring the drama of a doctor’s visit and there is surprisingly no pain at all involved.
One word of caution. If you choose to use the crystals instead of the paste, be sure to buy Epsom salts that are human-grade, rather than agricultural grade.
References
(1) Magnesium Sulfate Paste
(2) Use of Epsom Salts, historically considered
(3) Foreign object in the skin: First aid
For those those dealing with a small nearly invisible cactus thorn I use a drop of super glue. When it dries you peel off the glue and most of the time the thorn comes out. If not, a second try is a charm.
not super glue! you cant peel that off. use elmers glue. but i found this didnt work
Only works good on wood, etc. that will absorb the glue.
Why mess with poultices when with a scalpel, sharp knife or even a straight pin, you can dissect the skin above the splinter and have it out in a matter of seconds?
A veterinarian, my father, taught me how to remove splinters. He didn’t mess around with folk remedies or poultices, he used his brains and a scalpel.
Why so crabby ?
Drawing salves are for more then splinters .
& your Vet may want to dig around for a splinter , but I would rather get the last bit with salts or salves…… by digging you can also cause infection.
my cousin had to go to the er to have a toothpick removed from between his toes.. guess it had stuck in the carpet & when he walked by, he shoved it between the toes!
the nurse said they are the worst .. kept breaking off as they tried to remove it.. UGH !
You obviously missed the point of choosing a drawing agent as a PAINLESS alternative, and as
compared with a scalpel, bloodless.
THE WHOLE POINT of this was NOT to use a knife, scalpel, needle or pin and NOT to pay $500 for a doctor’s visit. Anyway, no small child with a splinter like that would tolerate your method!
READ the original post again – properly this time!
Because sometimes it is buried so deep that you can’t remove it with a pin without causing immense pain or performing minor surgery on yourself.
I have something buried in my foot currently that is difficult to even look at for more than a few minutes due to the location and my inflexibility, much less dig at with a scalpel.
Hmmm. Please feel free to moderate and / or delete this comment and my previous one at 2:36pm. Thank you.
Moderated or deleted? I commented with a polite question about whether tolerating a one-inch splinter for a week was really a successful, painless treatment. What was so offensive or improper that warranted simply deleting the comment?
what would you suggest instead – a $500 visit to the doctor??
This is an age-old remedy that I’ve been using for years; nothing new about it at all. And the poultice and bandage gives relief while it’s on anyway. Clearly it was a very very deep splinter, but the moment it’s out the flesh can begin to heal. A small splinter comes out after less than five minutes in an Epsom salts dip.
I would recommend that you not try and go out-of-network to a “holistic” doctor just to handle a silly splinter, and then you wouldn’t have to worry about such a high cost. Regular doctor’s visits don’t cost that much, especially if you have insurance and stay in-network.
Wait – so I’m walking around with a one-inch splinter in my finger for a week and this is hailed as a painless solution? No thanks.
To answer your question — health insurance and government programs insulate doctors and patients from pricing decisions, while healthcare provision has became highly cartelized.
For instance, your vet probably broke the law by giving unlicensed medical advice. While these laws are rarely enforced, they still create a chilling effect — as intended.
Plants love magnesium so when you are all done with your soaking, dilute it further and share with your plants. Us nurses use epsom salts after those long 12 hour shifts for soaking the feet. It can really help take the soreness out..