What do splinters look like

Metallic: BBs, nails, sewing needles, pins, tacks Fiberglass slivers Fishhooks may have a barbed point that makes removal difficult Glass sliver Pencil lead graphite, not lead Plastic sliver When to Call for Sliver or Splinter Call Doctor or Seek Care Now Object is a BB Object is causing severe pain You want a doctor to take out the object You tried and can't get the object out Wound looks infected spreading redness Fever occurs You think your child has a serious injury You think your child needs to be seen, and the problem is urgent Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours Deep puncture wound and last tetanus shot was more than 5 years ago You think your child needs to be seen, but the problem is not urgent Contact Doctor During Office Hours You have other questions or concerns Self Care at Home Tiny, pain-free slivers near the surface that don't need to be removed Tiny plant or cactus spines or fiberglass slivers that need to be removed Minor sliver, splinter or thorn that needs removal.

You think you can do it at home. Bellevue Everett Federal Way Seattle. Should your child see a doctor? All Symptoms. Accept All Cookies. Signs and Symptoms a small speck or line under the skin, usually on the hands or feet a feeling that something is stuck under the skin pain at the location of the splinter sometimes redness, swelling, warmth, or pus signs of infection What to Do To remove a splinter: Wash your hands, then the area around the splinter with soap and warm water.

Sterilize tweezers and a needle by putting the ends of each in boiling water, then wipe them off with a clean cotton ball or alcohol pad. If the splinter is sticking through the skin, firmly grip the end with the tweezers. Splinters appear as an often small sliver of a foreign object, either fully or partially embedded into a person's skin.

Splinters can be small, large, smooth, jagged, deeply embedded, or only partially embedded. If the sliver is large or jagged, there may be bleeding and redness of the affected area.

There may be no bleeding if the sliver is small or fairly smooth. Slivers often occur on the hands and feet, but they can occur anywhere on the skin or eye that comes in contact with a sliver of a foreign object. While it's hard to be definitive, Dr Sheridan's general rule of thumb is that if a splinter is easy to get out, you should get it out, regardless of what it's made of.

But if it's in the surface, and you can get it out fairly easily without breaking it up, "go for it". If you can't get it out, it's in deep, or you think the splinter is vegetable matter, Dr Sheridan advises seeing your GP — ideally within 48 to 72 hours, before any infection has time to take hold. You can probably be a bit more relaxed if you think the splinter is a bit of glass, metal or plastic, Dr Sheridan says, but it's a good idea to keep an eye on it.

And bear in mind that splinters of any kind can be risky for anyone with medical conditions including diabetes, lowered immunity or diseased blood vessels. Whatever the cause, a deep splinter that's caused infection may need to be cut out under local anaesthetic, followed by careful washing of the area. You may also require medication to ensure the infection doesn't continue to spread, even after the splinter is gone.

Movement of your body can see a splinter "work its way out". The action of immune cells migrating to the area also achieves this result, although this can cause localised pain. The natural process of cells in the surface skin layer being pushed out and replaced can eject a splinter too.

If the body can't get rid of a splinter, it may "wall it off" to form an internal lump known as a granuloma. The splinter can re-emerge at the surface, sometimes years later, or remain encased and "dormant", Dr Sheridan says. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.