# Invisible Splinter Removal Woes -_-



## Sina

Guys, I have a tiny splinter in my thumb (splinters tend to be bother me more than the average person). It was visible (slightly)until last night. I don't see it anymore, but I know it's in there. I feel intense pain when it's pressed against a harder surface. I have tried the sterilized tweezer method when the damn thing could be seen, but it was too small to be taken out that way. I tried the 'potato slice' method, but it hasn't worked. I've also tried the "duct tape" method. I am now looking to get my hands on some baking soda.

- don't want to use the needle method (so do suggest a different one lol)

Any tips? home remedies? What works best for you, when these invisible super elusive splinters are involved?


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## Inguz

Hm? What's wrong with the needle method? Works fine for me.


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## milti

Lol I pick it out with a safety pin.  Well, you didn't want a _needle _​method. :tongue:

Steve in this thread seems to be a person who knows about first aid. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110618191759AAphOlG


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## Sina

Inguz said:


> Hm? What's wrong with the needle method? Works fine for me.




Nothing's wrong with it. You just want me to publicly admit I am a sissy.  :angry:

lol I don't have a steady hand. Plus, I don't want to draw blood, cause infection etc. And, I can't even see the splinter. So, I am not sure how to go about it. Less 'invasive' suggestions please? :dry: :crazy:


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## telepariah

If you leave it alone, your body will either expel it at some time or it will be absorbed. As long as it isn't infected, doing nothing should take care of it.


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## HonestAndTrue

There's, a fool proof method. You just don't want to use it too many times.


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## On the road to Damascus

I am not sure what type of tweezers you are using but the pointy tweezers might be too pointy to get a good grab of the sliver.

Here is a suggestion:
* Please sterilize all tools before proceeding.
* Find slanted tweezers. There are all kinds of tweezers available at a pharmacy to pluck all manner of facial hair off of your face. Tweezerman is a good brand. 
* Get a bright light and a magnifying glass. You may need to call someone to hold the magnifying glass for you (find a non-queasy friend to do this).
* When the lighting is is place, gently squeeze the thumb like a zit and see if the sliver pops out.
* Using the tip of the tweezers, gently rub the area on the thumb where you think the sliver is. Is there any resistance? If there is, you may want to keep squeezing that area of your thumb.
* If there is limited traction, this is where a bit of digging with the tweezer head is required until you can grab the offensive end of the sliver. Then yank.

For the record, I can't stand having a sliver in my fingers, hand ect. Good luck!


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## SirDave

As @_telepariah_ said, if you leave it alone your body will expell it. As a onetime full time carpenter I had lots of experience with them and still get some doing woodworking. 

If you can't find it visually, drag the cutting edge of a fingernail clipper over the site. When you pass over it longitudinally you'll feel it "catch" where it projects, even if only a tiny amount. That will let you "home in" on its point and get a good feel for its exact location and size there. 

As for me, when I have the site located I use the clipper to dig in, or remove some of the skin layer surrounding the buried end of the splinter. As more skin is removed the end of the splinter is more exposed. You can get a better feel for how much is exposed by again dragging the curved clipper blade over it while going against the direction from which it projects. 

When a sufficient amount is excavated to get a grip on it, by then you should have a really good feel for using the clipper as a jaw with which to grip it, and as long as you don't close down on it too hard and clip it off (causing a repeat of the foregoing) you should be able to get enough of a grip to extract it. 

I have cut one off too low and had to again excavate all around it to expose it with the clipper, which is a good test of your determination and willingness to endure what seems to be a drastic bit of self inflicted cutting along with a little bleeding, but you will get it out. You can use some hydrogen peroxide to cauterize the wound after the necessary work is done.


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## RobynC

Needle is the best approach -- you want to sterilize it then slide it just under the area of the splinter and pull it up. My hand eye coordination ain't what it used to be since I got into a car-wreck but I can still do it without hurting myself so you shouldn't have trouble.


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## Peripheral

HonestAndTrue said:


> There's, a fool proof method. You just don't want to use it too many times.
> 
> View attachment 56028


This was my solution too. However, I wouldn't want you to go chopping off your pretty little digits.


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## Death Persuades

Draw it out with a nice magnesium sulfate finger bath  or maybe a full body bath? That'd be nicer.


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## DemonAbyss10

SirDave said:


> As @_telepariah_ said, if you leave it alone your body will expell it. As a onetime full time carpenter I had lots of experience with them and still get some doing woodworking.
> 
> If you can't find it visually, drag the cutting edge of a fingernail clipper over the site. When you pass over it longitudinally you'll feel it "catch" where it projects, even if only a tiny amount. That will let you "home in" on its point and get a good feel for its exact location and size there.
> 
> As for me, when I have the site located I use the clipper to dig in, or remove some of the skin layer surrounding the buried end of the splinter. As more skin is removed the end of the splinter is more exposed. You can get a better feel for how much is exposed by again dragging the curved clipper blade over it while going against the direction from which it projects.
> 
> When a sufficient amount is excavated to get a grip on it, by then you should have a really good feel for using the clipper as a jaw with which to grip it, and as long as you don't close down on it too hard and clip it off (causing a repeat of the foregoing) you should be able to get enough of a grip to extract it.
> 
> I have cut one off too low and had to again excavate all around it to expose it with the clipper, which is a good test of your determination and willingness to endure what seems to be a drastic bit of self inflicted cutting along with a little bleeding, but you will get it out. You can use some hydrogen peroxide to cauterize the wound after the necessary work is done.



Its how I have done it in the past unless it is completely buried in flesh. For some reason my fingers don't bleed much at all, so I can get away with hacking down to it with a razor knife if need be.


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## Sina

You guys! :laughing:

Thanks for the encouraging contributions, especially those suggesting I preserve my 'pretty lil digits'. xD
@_telepariah_

Thank you. That's exactly what happened with mine. I'll learn to not get myself all annoyed by a small/invisible splinter again. Nature succeeds where tweezers fail.
@RobynC

I have shaky/unsteady hands for similar reasons (related to an accident+idiopathic essential tremor), so the needle method just never works for me. Glad you are able to work it though


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