A splinter under the nail is deep, what to do. The splinter sits very deep. Why is it important to quickly remove splinters from under your nails?

A splinter is a “foreign body” that has penetrated the skin. This is usually a small splinter of wood, although there are also metal, glass or plastic splinters. Typically, you can remove the splinter yourself, but you may also need to health care in the event that the splinter has entered deep into the skin, especially in any sensitive place. Splinters under fingernails and toenails are especially painful and difficult to remove. However, there are methods that allow you to remove such splinters at home.

Steps

Removing a splinter using tweezers

Determine if you need medical attention. If the splinter has penetrated deep under the nail or has become infected, you may need help from a doctor. If an infection occurs, the pain will not go away after a few days, and the skin around the splinter will become swollen and red.
- If a splinter causes profuse bleeding, go to an emergency room.
- If you are unable to reach the splinter on your own, or an infection has entered along with the splinter, consult a doctor. He will remove the splinter and prescribe you antibiotics.
- Typically, when removing a large splinter, your doctor will give you a local anesthetic to reduce pain during the procedure.
- Please note that your doctor may remove part of the nail or the entire nail to completely remove the splinter.
Remove the splinter yourself. If you are trying to remove the splinter yourself, you will most likely need tweezers, as the splinter may be too small to grasp with your fingers. If the splinter is deeply embedded and does not protrude from under the nail, a needle may also be needed to remove it.
- Sterilize all the tools you will use to remove the splinter. Use alcohol or boiling water to sterilize tweezers and needles.
- Wash your hands before touching sterilized instruments.
- Before you begin removing the splinter, wash your nail and the skin around it to prevent infection. If you can't use soap and water, wipe your finger with rubbing alcohol.
- If you have long nails Before removing the splinter, trim the damaged nail. This will make it easier for you to access the splinter.
Pull out the splinter using tweezers. Find a place that is lit enough to see the damaged area clearly. Grab the protruding end of the splinter with tweezers. Grasp the edge of the splinter firmly and pull it in the same direction in which it entered the skin.
- A splinter may consist of several fragments of wood, glass, and the like. It may also break into several pieces when trying to pull it out of the skin. If you are unable to remove the splinter completely, see a doctor who will remove any remnants.
If the splinter does not protrude from the skin, use a needle to reach it. Some splinters penetrate so deeply into the skin that they cannot be caught with tweezers. Although they are difficult to remove on your own, you can try to pry the end of the splinter with a needle and then grab it with tweezers.
- A small one will do for this. sewing needle. Be sure to sterilize it before use.
- Push the point of the needle under the nail, bringing it to the end of the splinter, and try to pry that end.
- If you manage to pry the end of the splinter so that it protrudes from the skin, grab it with tweezers and pull the splinter in the same direction in which it penetrated the skin.
Wash the affected area thoroughly. Once you have removed all or part of the splinter, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water. Follow this with an antibiotic ointment (such as Polysporin) to prevent infection.
- If the wound is bleeding and to prevent infection, bandage it.
other methods
1. Soak the injured finger in warm water and baking soda. If the splinter has penetrated deeply or is so small that it is difficult to grasp with tweezers, you can try to pull it out with a solution baking soda in warm water.
  - Add to warm water tablespoon of baking soda and dip your finger in it. For best result soak your finger twice a day.
  - In order for the splinter to reach the surface of the skin and fall out on its own, or to be able to be removed with tweezers, it may take several days of such procedures.
2. Use tape. Another way to remove a splinter is to use tape. This method is very simple: stick tape to the area of the skin where the splinter is located, and then quickly tear it off.
  - Although Any will do type of tape, it is better to use transparent tape so that the splinter can be seen under it.
  - Again, you may need to trim your nail shorter to gain better access to the splinter.
3. Use wax to remove hair. A very thin splinter can be difficult to grasp with tweezers. In such cases, you can use depilatory wax to remove the splinter from under the nail. The viscous wax will tightly grip the end of the splinter protruding from the skin.
  - In this case, you may need to trim your nail shorter to gain better access to the splinter.
  - Apply heated wax to the area of skin around the splinter. Make sure to cover the protruding edge of the splinter with wax.
  - Before the wax dries, attach a strip of fabric to it.
  - Firmly grasp the strip of fabric and quickly tear it away from the skin.
4. Try removing the splinter with ichthyol ointment. This medicinal ointment can also be used to remove splinters from under the nail. Ichthyol ointment can be purchased at a pharmacy or online. This ointment will soften the skin around the splinter, making it easier to remove.
  - You may need to trim the damaged nail to make it easier to reach the splinter.
  - This method is well suited for children as it involves less pain and discomfort.
  - Apply a little ointment to the area of skin with the splinter.
  - Cover or wrap the smeared area with a bandage and wait 24 hours. Ichthyol ointment leaves stains on fabric (clothing and bed linen), so wrap the lubricated area with a bandage properly so that it does not leak out.
  - Remove the bandage after 24 hours and examine the splinter.
  - The goal is to wait for the splinter to fall out on its own. However, if this does not happen after 24 hours, the splinter will likely protrude further from the skin and you may be able to pick it up with tweezers.
5. Make a baking soda paste. This paste will serve as a replacement for ichthyol ointment. Use this method only if other methods do not work, since the paste can cause swelling, which will make it difficult to remove the splinter.
  - You may need to trim your nail shorter to gain better access to the splinter.
  - Take ¼ teaspoon of baking soda and add water to it until you get a thick paste.
  - Apply the paste to the area of skin with the splinter and wrap it with a bandage.
  - After 24 hours, remove the bandage and examine the splinter.
  - Under the influence of the paste, the splinter may fall out on its own. If this does not happen after 24 hours, repeat the procedure, applying the paste for another 24 hours.
  - If the splinter protrudes enough from the skin, you can remove it with tweezers.

Unfortunately, splinters get under the nail quite often. This is due to the very nature of the nail - a dense plate on a soft bed. The nature of splinters can differ significantly - wood chips, glass, metal. This article is devoted to methods and techniques for removing various splinters from under the nail plate.

Diagnosing a splinter under the nail, as a rule, is not difficult, since it is quite painful. In addition to pain, paleness and then visual redness of the nail plate may be observed.

Mistakes made when removing splinters

Splinter under the nail

The first mistake that adults and children make when this type injuries - trying to get rid of them immediately foreign body:

they break the splinter itself, unsuccessfully trying to remove it with inappropriate objects;
contribute to the spread of the infectious process by manipulating with unwashed hands and improvised objects;
they introduce the foreign body even deeper into the nail bed.

The second mistake occurs somewhat less frequently and is associated with a high threshold of pain sensitivity. Sometimes it happens that the victim does not notice the splinter under the nail. After 6 hours (on average), the infection begins to spread into soft tissues finger This manifests itself as follows:

the skin around the affected nail may swell;
throbbing pain appears in the lesion, indicating a purulent process;
hyperemia (redness) develops.

Subsequently, all this resolves into an abscess (felon or other forms of suppuration), which can be fraught with both loss of the nail and more difficult processes, including the spread of pus further along the fascia of the hand.

Photo gallery of purulent complications

How to remove a splinter from under a nail

Treat your finger with disinfectant. You need to find a magnifying glass, tweezers, a needle and cotton wool.

If all this is missing, find it, you have 4-5 hours before suppuration. Inadequate splinter removal can cost much more.

All instruments must also be treated with disinfectants. Hands must be clean. If the splinter is deep, pour a glass of vodka and immerse the affected finger there for half an hour. This procedure will make the foreign body visible, in addition, the splinter will partially come out of the wound, which is very useful if the distal part is already broken off.

After processing the instruments, carefully examine the entry point of the splinter, as well as the angle of entry.

A magnifying glass is a must, because... it allows you to precisely control the angle at which the splinter will be removed.

Photo gallery of tools for splinter extraction

The prepared (steamed) fingertip can be slightly moved away from the nail and pressed slightly on it. This, in most cases, allows you to completely or partially remove the splinter from the tissue. The accessible tip of the foreign body is removed using tweezers or tweezers. If this is not possible, use a needle to push the splinter towards the exit. To do this, carefully insert the needle parallel to the splinter and lift it upward. After the tip of the splinter appears, we fix it with the other hand and remove it with tweezers.

As a rule, a small amount of pus has already formed, which makes the foreign body easier to pass.

After manipulation, the finger should be treated with an antiseptic.

At deep splinters a reasonable solution would be to go to your local surgeon (or any general surgeon). This will allow the manipulation to be carried out under aseptic conditions and quickly, which has a beneficial effect on the risk of infection of the wound.

Video on how to remove a splinter from under a nail

These manipulations remain unchanged, only the methods of preparing the finger (softening) and aseptic and antiseptic measures differ. Traditional medicine recommends a whole list of means of softening the injured finger for more successful removal of the splinter.

How to remove a splinter from under a nail using folk remedies

The affected finger must be steamed to make the splinter easier to remove and to prevent the development of panaritium.

A finger bath is prepared as follows: add a teaspoon of soda and rock salt to a glass of boiling water. You can also add calendula or eucalyptus tincture. Dip your finger into the solution (literally for a second). We repeat the procedure for 15 minutes. An option for softening is also a soap solution - crushed baby soap (5 tablespoons) is dissolved in a liter of boiling water.

After these procedures, the splinter can be removed using nail clippers, a magnifying glass and a needle.

Folk remedies for removing splinters in the photo

Folk remedies for removing an already immersed splinter

Fenugreek and comfrey (roots) are crushed and mixed in equal parts, after which boiling water is added and stirred to form a thick paste. A compress with this paste is applied to the affected finger and secured with a bandage. It is necessary to change every four hours until a splinter appears.

Porridge from onions. Chopped onions are applied to the wound, wrapped in cellophane and secured with a bandage. The dressings are changed every 3-4 hours.

White (cosmetology) clay is mixed with hot water. The resulting ointment is applied to the wound and fixed. Change every two hours.

Pine resin is applied under the nail and bandaged for 6 hours. After this, the resin is removed with a swab soaked in alcohol. Juniper resin and tar are used for the same purpose.

A splinter is a foreign body that gets under the skin and can be of any structure. They are especially painful in the place of the fingers under the nail. If the sliver does not go deep and there is no inflammation, then you can pull it out yourself. But this must be done correctly so as not to harm your health.

How to remove a splinter from under a nail - do you need help?

First of all, decide whether you need medical assistance. You should not risk your health and act independently if:

There is redness and swelling around the splinter. This indicates infection has entered the wound, which can cause deterioration in health.
You yourself cannot remove the foreign body, since it is deeply stuck under the nail plate. IN in this case a specialist will need to remove some or all nail plate, as well as prescribe anti-inflammatory treatment.
Splinter has big size. To remove it, the doctor will give local anesthesia, which will ease the pain.

How to remove a splinter from under a nail with tweezers

If you decide that you do not need medical help, then remove the foreign body yourself.

To do this, you will need tweezers to grab the small splinter. If it penetrates deeply, use a needle.

Such unique instruments must be sterilized. To do this, immerse them completely in boiling water or treat them with purified alcohol.

In the meantime, wash your hands well with warm running water and soap. If this cannot be done, then treat the finger with the splinter with alcohol or iodine. This will prevent infection from entering the wound.

The steps in the previous paragraph must be repeated by the person who will help you pull out the foreign body.
Before you begin to remove the splinter, you need to trim your nail if it is long. This will give you access to the cause of the pain.
Find the brightest place and grab the splinter with tweezers. Grab as much of it as possible to pull it out in one go and completely.

Pull the sliver gently but sharply in the direction of its entry. If you were unable to do this in one go and there are fragments of material left in the wound, then consult a doctor for help. Do not remove the remaining wood chips yourself!
In some cases, it is not possible to reach the splinter with tweezers, since it has gone too far under the skin. In this case, a sewing needle will help you.
It also needs to be processed before use. Gently insert it under the nail plate next to the sliver and try to move it towards the edge. Then pick it up with tweezers and pull it out in the opposite direction from the penetration.

After removing the splinter, wash the wound, disinfect it and apply antibacterial ointment. Place an adhesive plaster on top for the first time to prevent contamination from getting into the wound.

How to remove a splinter from under a nail in other ways

There are several other ways to remove a foreign body from under the nail.

Soda baths

At small size splinter and the impossibility of removing it with tweezers, use baths with baking soda. Heat the water, pour the product into it at the rate of: per glass of water, 1 tbsp. l. powder.
The water should be warm, not hot! Dip your sore finger into the water and hold it until the water cools. For effect, do this procedure twice a day.

The bath will help the small sliver come out on its own or move to the point of penetration, where you can pick it up with tweezers.
Sometimes to get the effect of this method you will need to repeat it for several days. Or make a baking soda paste and use it as an ointment.

Using stationery tape

Scotch tape will help you remove the sliver. Glue it to the place with the splinter and quickly remove it. Use only clear adhesive tape so you can see the foreign body and where you need to stick it.
If you can't get the splinter to stick with tape, trim the nail as short as possible.

Using wax for depilation

Very small chips that cannot be picked up with tweezers can be removed using a hair remover.
Warm it up and pour it on the affected area of your finger. Wait until the product completely covers the splinter.
While the wax is still warm, apply a clean material and pull sharply. This action will allow you to cover the sliver as much as possible and pull it out completely.

Using ichthyol ointment

Do not neglect such a simple but very effective drug as ichthyol ointment. By its action, it will soften the skin around the splinter and encourage it to be easily removed. In addition, it will have an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect on the wound.
Apply ointment to the cleaned area of the nail with the chip. thin layer. Cover it with a clean cloth and bandage it.
The ointment has dark color has an oily structure, so it can stain clothes and bedding. Therefore, wrap your finger with as much bandage as possible.
Leave the product to act for a day, then remove the bandages. If the sliver does not come out on its own, then pull it out with tweezers.

If you were unable to remove the splinter yourself, then consult a doctor for help!

There are probably few people who don’t know what it is splinter under the nail, and how unpleasant it is to carry around such a “gift” with you, which is very easy to catch, but to remove - there are some difficulties. Fortunately for us, people learned to drive splinters under their nails back in ancient times, and since then ethnoscience has gone through a glorious path of accumulating knowledge in the unit. Although in particularly difficult cases involving large number contamination in the wound, you should still consult a doctor. A splinter is always fraught with all sorts of unpleasant inflammations and suppuration.

The first trouble is if the splinter goes too deep. Another riddle for removing splinters is what to do if there is nothing to pick it up with?

A splinter under the nail. First actions

In any case, you are going to have an operation, perhaps even a complex one, so the first thing you need to do is wash your hands thoroughly with hot water and soap to avoid. Prepare workplace. There should be a brightly lit place on the table where a magnifying glass, a piece of cotton wool, a thin needle, tweezers and alcohol should be placed.

Disinfect the finger with the splinter under the nail and the tip of the needle with alcohol. Well, carefully try to hook the needle into the stuck splinter and pull it out. In mild cases, when the splinter is small, has not entered very deeply and is visible, this method can be very effective.

How to remove a splinter from under a nail that is deeply embedded

If the splinter under the nail has penetrated deeply, pour a little alcohol or vodka into a glass and marinate the affected finger there for half an hour. The splinter will likely appear above the skin and can be removed with tweezers.

Ichthyol ointment can also help remove splinters. It is necessary to coat the nail and the area where the splinter is located with ichthyol ointment, and allow the drug to be absorbed.

Treating the finger after removing the splinter

You can use fresh ones. Grind the leaves to a paste consistency and lubricate the affected area. Plantain will soften the skin and this will facilitate the procedure for removing the foreign body.

Juniper resin has an even stronger effect. Cover your nails with it for half an hour. The task will then become clearer.

After the tissue is removed, the skin on the affected area usually swells, the skin turns red and begins to hurt. Then dip your finger in a hot salt solution for five to ten minutes or prepare a warming alcohol compress.

In principle, these means and methods should be enough, but you never know how many may be at hand at the right time. There are also very effective traditional methods removing splinters

Traditional methods for removing splinters from under the nail

They say that if the splinter cannot be removed, you need to set fire to a piece of cloth and hold your finger over the smoke. In this case, the splinter will quickly come out, there will be no abscesses, and the healing of the wound will be accelerated.

If it doesn’t come out at all, pour it into a stack ammonia, put your finger in there, wait a few minutes. Take your finger out and tie it thick fabric. The ammonia should dissolve the splinter.

There's a lot in the glass hot water dissolve four tablespoons of salt. Dip your finger and wait for a quarter of an hour. By morning it should completely disappear. The effect appears if you start hovering your finger immediately without delay. The effect will be enhanced with the addition of Vishnevsky ointment. You need to lubricate your finger after steaming. Wrap it with a bandage.

What do we call a thorn? Any foreign body that has penetrated the skin or nail. Most often this is a small wood chip or a plant thorn, but plastic or metal splinters can also occur. An interesting fact is that organic splinters contribute to the development of infection in the wound, but inorganic splinters do not. However, it is worth removing them in any case! The procedure seems especially complicated and painful if a foreign body is stuck under the nail plate. In some cases, it is simply impossible to do without qualified medical care. We will tell you how to get a splinter out from under your nail yourself. Let's list simple methods.

How to remove a splinter from under a nail: the most effective way

If you decide to remove a foreign body yourself, it is better not to try to do it with your fingers and nails. It is much easier, faster and more effective to use regular tweezers.

How to remove a splinter from under a nail:

Before carrying out the procedure, be sure to wash your hands with soap!
Sterilize the instrument - you can use either boiling water or an alcohol-containing product for this.
Additionally, wash the area around the splinter with soap and water. Disinfect the area with an alcohol-based solution.
If the damaged nail is long, then cut it with scissors - this will significantly facilitate the procedure for removing the splinter from under the nail plate.
Place the injured finger under a light fixture or sit in a bright room - you should be able to see the splinter clearly.
Using tweezers, gently pinch its protruding edge.
Pull out the foreign body in the direction in which it entered under the nail.

If, when trying to remove the splinter, it breaks off (part of it remains under the nail) or splits, then this is a reason to contact a specialist.

Removal using a needle

It is not always possible to pick up a foreign body with tweezers. How to get a splinter out from under a nail if it is deep? Use regular sewing needle:

Wash your hands with soap.
Sterilize the needle with boiling water or alcohol.
Additionally, rinse and disinfect the injured finger.
Sit for the procedure in a well-lit place.
Gently place the point of the needle under the nail in the direction of the splinter.
Once you have reached the nearest edge of the foreign body, your task is to carefully pick it up with a needle and move it closer to the outer edge of the nail plate.
Bring the splinter with a needle to the distance from which it can be removed with tweezers.
Disinfect the tweezers and use them to remove the splinter.

Extraction with baking soda

A splinter got under the nail - how to get it out? If the foreign object is too small to be caught with a needle or tweezers, or has gone too far under the nail plate, try this simple method:

Mix one tablespoon of regular baking soda in warm boiled water.
Soak your injured finger in a similar bath twice a day.
The procedures should be repeated periodically over several days. As a result, the splinter should come out to the surface of the skin, from where it can simply be removed with the same tweezers. In some cases it falls out on its own.

There is another method that involves baking soda. Here a paste is prepared from the powder:

Trim the damaged nail as short as possible to provide access to the foreign body.
Dilute a quarter tablespoon of baking soda with a few drops of boiled or drinking water so that you form a thick paste.
Apply the product to the damaged area, and wrap the top of your finger thoroughly with a sterilized bandage.
After a day, remove the bandage and examine the damaged area.
Under the influence of the paste, most often the splinter comes out on its own. If this does not happen, then prepare a new portion of the product in the same way. Tie your finger again for 24 hours.

Removal using tape

How to get a splinter out from under a child's nail? This needs to be done unusually and quickly so that the little patient does not have time to get scared and prevent the adult from performing the procedure. However, this method is good for small splinters whose edge protrudes above the surface of the skin:

Trim your child's nails shorter to provide access to the foreign body.
Take transparent tape - the splinter will be clearly visible under it.
Press the adhesive tape onto the foreign body.
Pull it sharply towards you - as a result of this action, the glued splinter will break out from under the nail.

Extraction using depilatory wax

Another unusual way, which will help remove from under the nail plate small splinters that are difficult to grasp with a needle or tweezers:

Trim the nail near the damaged area shorter to make the procedure easier.
Warm up the wax, then apply it to the damaged area - the substance must cover the protruding edge of the splinter.
Put it on not yet hardened wax a thin strip of fabric or bandage.
Once the substance has hardened, pull the edge of the glued fabric strip. Along with the wax, the splinter stuck to it should also come off.

Extraction using Vishnevsky's remedy

How to get a splinter out from under a nail if it is deep? Vishnevsky ointment is the easiest painless method here. Particularly suitable for young patients. The procedure goes as follows:

Trim the damaged nail as short as possible.
Apply a little ointment directly to the area where the splinter penetrated.
Wrap the injured finger well with a bandage - the ointment makes bad smell, leaves stains on clothes and bed linen.
After 24 hours, remove the bandage - the splinter under the influence of Vishnevsky’s remedy should come to the surface on its own.
If the foreign body remains under the nail, repeat the procedure again - a daily bandage with Vishnevsky ointment.
If the splinter does not come out completely, but its edge appears above the surface of the skin, then carefully pull it out with sterilized tweezers.

Traditional methods of removing splinters

Before using any of the following methods, we advise you to first wash the wound with soap and disinfect it with an alcohol-containing preparation:

Compress from comfrey or fenugreek root. The ingredient, crushed to a powder, is poured with boiling water. The resulting mass is applied to the damaged area - the bandage is changed every 4 hours.
Onion gruel. Grind the product on a grater and apply the pulp to the wound. Change the compress to a fresh one every 3 hours.
White cabbage. The cabbage leaf is grated into a pulp. The latter is applied to the wound. Every 3 hours this compress needs to be replaced with a fresh one.
Treating the wound with vodka, juniper resin, and tar also helps soften the skin around the splinter, which facilitates the spontaneous release of the foreign body.
For the same purposes they do warm baths from baby soap(5 tablespoons of soap bar shavings). The damaged finger is kept in water until it cools. Continue the procedure until the splinter comes out.

After extraction

You know how to get a splinter out of your finger. Once you have succeeded, do not forget to do the following:

Wash the wound where the foreign body was removed with soap.
To prevent infection, treat the area with iodine, brilliant green, or antibiotic ointment.
Did you start bleeding during removal? Hydrogen peroxide treatment is required. After the bleeding has stopped, disinfect the wound and bandage your finger with a sterile bandage.

Need medical help!

How to get a splinter out from under a nail? Sometimes this problem Only a specialist can decide. These are those cases when a foreign body went too deep under the nail plate, and an infection was introduced along with it. This can be determined by several signs:

The splinter causes profuse bleeding.
You cannot get to the foreign body on your own (you already know how to get a splinter from under your nail). Here you will need a local anesthetic to help remove the splinter painlessly.
The area around the foreign body is swollen, red, and you feel pain when touched or pressed. Most likely there is an infection. You will be prescribed antibiotics to rule out serious consequences.

You now know methods that will help you remove a splinter yourself - both small and deep under the skin, for both adults and children.