Splinters are very common occurrence at home, workplace or even in school. Knowing how to treat the splinter can help ease the pain or making it degenerate into a severe health condition. Note that if a splinter is not
handled carefully, it can get infections and turn into a major health condition that may be hard to deal with. Conducting basic first aid for this problem is easy as long as you remain composed and know how to do it effectively. Continue reading the article to know how to deal with this typical minor emergency.
Clean the Wound
The area should be cleaned using mild soap and water. This will help remove any dirt that may cause further infections.
How to Care for Tiny Splinters?
- If the splinter does not hurt, you should allow it to work its way out for a few days. However, keep checking it to ensure that it does not get worse even if it is does no cause any pain.
- If it does not hurt, touch the affected area in a gentle way with sticky tape and pull it away carefully. If the sticky tape fails to work, try using hair removal wax.
Remove Larger Splinters
- Clean tweezers or a small needle using alcohol are needed.
- If you can see until the end of the splinter, grip or hold it with the tweezers and pull the entire splinter gently.
- If none of the splinters are sticking out, use a magnifying glass and strong lighting.
- Do a thorough cleaning of the wound area again and then apply a bandage and antibiotic ointment.
When to seek Assistance from a Health Care Provider?
Most splinters do not require the attention of a health care provider. However, there are certain instances when such assistance of a health care provider is necessary is necessary.
- You fail to remove the entire splinter.
- The splinter is stuck deep inside the skin or is bleeding severely.
- In case the splinter is under a toe nail or a finger nail. The help of a health care provider is necessary in this case in order to cut a notch in the toe or nail in order to have the splinter removed safely.
Follow up
Splinters can cause tetanus, thus it is important to ask the health care provider if it is necessary to have tetanus boost. It is also necessary to watch any symptoms of infections such as severe pain, redness, swelling or pus. If you recognize any of such symptoms, it is god to visit a doctor for further treatment.